Foreseen
by StevieRae2011
Summary: Sequel to Destined. Really the same summary as Destined. Kalleb, Layla, Joi, and Cassidy are all 7 years old. DON'T READ UNLESS YOU'VE READ ALL OF DESTINED! R&R! You know you want to!
1. Wedded

**Okay. WARNING! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ ALL 16 CHAPTERS OF **_**DESTINED**_**, CLICK ON MY PROFILE AND READ IT! If you have, welcome to**_** Foreseen**_**! In this installment, the babies start out 7 years old. Sorry for the time skip! This also means the babies are finally old enough to do their POV! I'm so excited because this is where my plan really gets under way, so get ready! Okay, is everyone ready for this first chapter? I hope you are. Here are more notes. **

**Bridesmaids: Stevie Rae, Erin, Shaunee, Aphrodite, and Mrs. McKarther. **

**Groomsmen: Damien, Mr. McKarther, Alex's brother (Christian), Erik, and Darius.**

**Maid of Honor: Zoey**

**Best Man: Stark**

**Flower Girls: Cassidy, Layla, Joi. **

**Ring Bearer: Kalleb**

**That's all my notes! Read On! **

Chapter 1: Wedded

_**Joi**_

"Momma, I don't like dresses!" Joi told her mother, pouting.

"I'm sorry, but you and your sister are flower girls at your sister's wedding. That calls for a dress, Jo-Jo." Zoey responded sternly.

"Fine." The seven-year-old continued to pout but put on the dress her mother gave her. It was sapphire colored with red lace in the sleeve and red ball gown gloves. Joi sighed, and turned around to look in the mirror.

"It's hideous!" she cried.

"It's adorable!" Zoey turned around to face her other daughter. "Right, Lay-Lay?" Joi's twin smiled and nodded her head vigorously. Joi sighed again. Her sister, with their mother's good looks and dark hair, looked better in the dress than she ever would. Even at this young age, she was jealous of her sister.

"On her it is." she sighed a third time.

"Don't fell bad Joi. You're gorgeous!" Layla told her, smiling. Joi smiled.

_**(20 minutes later) Lillia **_

"Mom, I'm scared." Lillia said.

"Don't be. You'll be fine." Zoey told her and hugged her tight. Lillia looked at her and smiled. "How are you going to keep your last name?" Lillia had thought about this. Was she going to keep the name of the people who had taught her to walk and talk? Or the people who were the only loving family she remembered. Or would she just cut them both and just us Alex's?

"I'm making my name Lillia Emily Stark-McKarther." she told Zoey, smiling widely. Zoey looked shocked. She obviously hadn't expected her to choose to keep Stark as part of her name. Then suddenly, she wrapped Lillia in a hug. So the day of her wedding, a 23 year old woman was wrapped in her mother's arms.

"Okay, so now we need to get dressed." Zoey said after a moment. Zoey went over to the closet in the High Priestess's rooms and took out a white garment bag. Slowly, she unzipped it and revealed Lillia's wedding dress.

The dress was white and hugged her from chest to waist. Then it spread out in a poof and stopped just short of the floor. In the back, it went backwards in a 2 and a half foot train with red and dyed sapphire rose petals delicately sewn on. The top part of the dress was coved in the petal with a single red rose right below the right sleeve. When she swirled around, the skirt lifted and the train lifted and fell slowly around her feet.

"It's gorgeous, Lil." Zoey told her and smiled. "Here." She handed her a blue ribbon to tie her hair up with. It looked fairly worn. "Something old." Next, she handed her a pair of white heels with red bows on the front. "Some new." Thirdly was a necklace from Stark he had gotten her as a wedding gift. "Something borrowed." Finally, she handed her a blue diamond bracelet that was a wedding present as well. "And something blue."

"Thank you, Mom." Lillia said, tearing up. She put everything on. "I'm ready and we got two hours to kill. Let go check on setup."

_**Alex**_

Alex looked at himself in the tux and scowled. It was black as was traditional with a blue tie and red cufflinks. His shoes were black as well.

"I hate tuxes." he told himself, then he smiled. His Lillia was worth it, though.

_**Stevie Rae**_

"We have two hours until the wedding! Ya'll need to get movin'!" Stevie Rae yelled at the wedding help.

"We're trying!" yelled one of the caterers. Stevie Rae smiled.

"If you don't get movin' faster, I swear that no one will ever hire you again and you'll live in a box on the street." She didn't raise her voice, only let a little bit of the animal she kept locked up out. She looked at them all and saw their faces drain of color. _Maybe I let a little too much animal out_, she thought. But, it worked.

"Yes, ma'am." all the workers chorused. She smiled as she reeled the red-eyed beast back in, satisfied. Just then, Lillia and Zoey walked in.

"Well, howdy, Z. And, the lovely bride." she said and Lillia blushed.

"Thanks, Aunt Stevie Rae." Lillia said. She cast her eyes down.

"How's the progress?" Zoey aked. "Lillia thought we should come help."

"We're just about finished. We're just bringing in the cake and the last of the roses."

"Okay." So, Stevie Rae watched them walk off to do something else and imagined Cassidy as Lillia and her in the place of Zoey.

_**(2 hours later) Alex**_

Alex stood at the alter and looked intently down the 17 and a half foot aisle to where his lovely Lil would enter.

"Shhhhhhhhh!" someone in the aisles said an d the door opened for the wedding party. First came Layla, Joi, and Cassidy, sprinkling petals at their feet. Next came the bridesmaid, groomsmen, and maid of honor. Then was Kalleb, bearing a blue pillow with two glistening rings on it, both made of smooth purple crystal. And lastly, Lillia walked through the door, train trailing behind her, Stark on her arm. The piano player had already begun to play the wedding march but Alex didn't hear it. He only heard the delicate clack of her heels, only saw her face in the crowd, only smelled her simple vanilla perfume. And, as Stark placed her hand in his, he could only feel her soft skin, only taste her sweet breath in his face.

"Sons and Daughters of Nyx, we are gathered here to join these two souls under the eyes of the Goddess." Thanatos said. They had asked her and she had agreed to help them again. She paused and looked around the landscape next to the statue of Nyx, outside of Nyx's temple. She continued, "Brothers and Sisters, as Vampyres, a wedding is not such a flimsy thing as the humans would think. It is a show of love between two of our kind and creating a proper title for both of them. Instead of husband and wife, we are mates for life." She paused and turned to Lillia. "Do you believe you are ready to behold this title?"

"I Do." Lillia said. Thanatos turned to Alex.

"Do you believe you are ready to behold this title?"

"I Do."

_**Lillia**_

"Do you believe that you can honor, cherish, protect, and defend Alex McKarther?" Thanatos said as she turned once more to Lillia. Lillia looked her full in the face, and said only two oh, so powerful words.

"I Do." Lillia watched as she repeated the question to her Warrior and found herself anxious to hear the answer. _Silly girl, you know what he'll say. _She thought to herself. _At least I think I do. But, it' now or never for him to say no. _Even as these thoughts ran quickly through her head she heard his reply.

"I Do." Alex said, a prize winning smile on his face.

"Do you promise to love him as much as you can for as long as you can? " Thanatos asked and as he turned to them each in turn, they both repeated the previous answer,

"I Do." Soon, the questions became a blur and only what Alex replied mattered. She blindly said "I Do" when it was her turn to do so until she heard the five words that would change her life forever.

"You may kiss the bride!" Thanatos said with a flourish. Alex grabbed her and laid his lips on hers and as it was three years ago, all felt right with the world. The crowd broke into applause and as Lillia glanced at her father, she saw tears running down his face and his bowed. Her mother was also crying as she looked over there but her head was raised and a proud smile lit her face. Lillia smiled back and kissed her mate again.

"Three cheers for the bride and groom!" Stark yelled, his head suddenly popping up. And so the cheers started and Lillia just kept smiling. _Thank you Nyx, for the perfection of my life. _Lillia prayed. And, for the first time, she heard a reply.

"_You are very welcome. Make good use of it and keep to your vows." _The Goddess' voice spoke in her mind.

_I will. _She replied. Alex kissed her again and she felt even happier than three years ago.

**Okay. I'm finally done. I started this six days ago and this is only the first of three stories I plan to post today. One is a Mortal Instruments one shot. The second one is a surprise, but I'll give you a hint. Look at the second A/N of chapter 13 of **_**Destined**_**. Wondering if you'll figure it out, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	2. Dreamed

**I'm back! Did you miss me? I'm so sorry it's taken so long! I'll be updating The Vampyre's Daughter soon, too, if your also reading that. If you're not aware, that is the story I told you guys about back in **_**Destined**_**. All right, chapter notes. Umm, this chapter is mostly in Layla's POV. The part with Kalona at the reception was supposed to be in the last chapter, but I forgot it. I liked the idea so it's here. All right, so here it goes! Read On! **

Chapter 2: Dreamed

_**Kalona**_

Kalona looked down at the happy party-goers. He didn't even know why he was here, only that he had felt the pull again. To Layla. He looked down at her now. And, as if she felt it too, she looked up at him. But, only his wings were visible.

"Look, Mama. It's a birdie." she said to Zoey. Zoey looked up but Kalona pulled his wings closer so they, too, were invisible.

"Sorry, honey. I didn't see it. It must've flown away." The little girl kept looking regardless, a faint look of recognition on her face. _But she's never seen me, not even in her dreams. _he thought. He was right that she'd never seen him. Only glimpses of his wings. Layla continued to look up at him until the groom- _Alex?_- came up to her.

"And my other favorite girl. Wanna dance, Lay-Lay?" he asked, smiling.

Layla smiled back up at him and accepted the hand he had extended. "Yep." she replied. He led her away and she laughed as he twirled her around and lifted her feet off the ground. Unknown to him, he smiled slightly as he unfurled his wings. She looked at him again but said nothing. _See you in your dreams._ Kalona thought and flew away, silently.

_**(2 hours later) Layla (Layla's dreams) **_

Layla looked around and saw herself in the cave where Aunt Stevie Rae and Uncle Rephaim lived. She looked directly in front of her and saw a man who looked a lot like Kalleb and Uncle Rephaim.

"Hello, child." he said, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Hello. Who are you?" she asked. She saw him frown as if he were considering something.

"I am Kalona, child. You are Layla, correct?" She nodded at him once. She had heard her mommy and daddy talking about him before. She could tell he wasn't very nice. "Are you scared of me?"

"No. But Mommy and Daaddy talk about you a lot. They said you're bad." He frown got deeper.

"Child, I've done bad things but there is no need for you to be afraid of me."

_**Kalona**_

Kalona looked at the little girl in front of him and thought only of how he could use her in the future. If her got her to trust him, he'd be able to do a lot with her. But, because of the enchantment put on her by Zoey's gang, if he did anything untruthful, he'd be cast out.

"Why shouldn't I be scared of you?" she asked him, fiddling with the braid she often wore her hair in.

"I'm not entirely sure, child." It was the truth.

"Stop calling me child! My name's Layla!" she snapped. He was taken aback. Well, she was certainly her mother's child.

"Of course, Layla." he sneered.

"Don't be rude." she sneered right back. She looked as if she was getting more comfortable and less frightened.

"I wasn-" he began but stopped. "Fine." She smiled.

"Why are you here, anyway?" she asked. "I heard Uncle Rephaim say you weren't allowed in the tunnels." she said.

Kalona had to be careful not to lose his temper. "You're dreaming, child."

"Don't call me chi-" she began before she was cut off, "I meant Layla." She cooled back down.

"I'm here because I pulled here by something."

"By what?"

"I'm not sure, child." He was pretty sure she would have yelled at him again had she not been woken up.

_**Layla**_

As Layla fell back to sleep, she had a vision.

_She sees a woman. She looks up and she knows her immediately as Nyx, her Goddess. She's writing something on purple paper. Her vision zooms in and she can read it. _

_**The Four stand as one. **_

_**Though only one can save him. **_

_**But, can he be saved? **_

_The Goddess looks at her and says four words. "Who can save him?" _

When Layla woke up again she went straight to her mother to tell her about her vision.

_**Stevie Rae**_

Stevie Rae got a call from Kramisha in the middle of the day.

"What is it?" she asked angrily. She didn't like to be woken up.

"I got another poem. I called you first but I'm about to call Zoey. You might want to get ever here as soon as the sun sets." she said.

"'Kay. I'll be there." Stevie Rae promptly hung up the phone and fell back asleep.

**I know it's short, don't yell at me. I'm tired and it's all I could think up. Sorry for switching the PoV in the middle of Layla and Kalona's conversation, but it was just easier in his. All right, I gotta get to bed before my mother beats me so, yeah. Very tired, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	3. Revealed

**I can't believe I'm already back again! I usually take forever, but I have time to so, yeah. I probably won't finish this today… But, I'll start. And, before I forget again, I have a surprise for you all. You see, I have people picked out for all the characters to end up with. Except, for Cassidy. So, I'm creating an application for you to create that person. So… **

**Name: **

**Male or Female (this is a homophobe free zone):**

**Species (vamp, human, raven mocker, etc.): **

**Physical Description: **

**Any Special Powers:**

**Personality: **

**Background: **

**Pets: **

**Family: **

**Additional Information: **

**Well, that's that. Now, people, REVIEW that. IT'S IMPORTANT! So, I'm not sure what's gonna happen this chapter, so, obviously, no chapter notes. Read On! **

Chapter 3: Revealed

_**Cassidy**_

"I'm bored. Can we go visit Aunt Zoey and Uncle Stark and Lillia and Layla and Joi?" Cassidy asked. Cassidy asked her mother.

"Not right now. Uncle Stark and Aunt Zoey are working like Daddy." Stevie Rae told her.

"Why aren't you working Mama?" Cassidy's brother asked.

"Because I took the day off to spend with my kids."

"But I wanna go play with Layla and Joi!" Cassidy whined. As her temper flared up, the room got hotter.

"Cassidy! Watch your temper!" her mother yelled. Kalleb flapped his wings nervously. "Cassidy Lynn Johnson!" The room cooled. Just then, Stevie Rae's phone rang .

"Yes?" she asked. Because she was standing so close, Cassidy heard Zoey's voice speaking through the other line.

"I know it's your day off, but Layla had a dream last night. It was a vision. Not prophetic like Joi's but it showed Nyx writing a poem. Then I got a call from Kramisha saying she'd written. It's the same one."

"I got a call, too. But, I figured you could handle it." Stevie Rae said.

"Usually we could. But, it's about the kids again." Cassidy saw her mommy gasp slightly before replying.

"I'll be there." she said and hung up. She dialed Lillia's numbers.

"Hey, Lil, I know you'd rather spend time with Alex, but, if you don't mind, since you're already watching the girls, could you watch Cass and Kal too?" she rambled.

"Sure thing Aunt Stevie Rae. I don't have the car, Alex took it. Could you drop them off?"

"Sure thing." Stevie Rae hung up again. She turned to Cassidy who'd been listening the whole time. "Guess you got your wish." and, with that Cassidy and Kalleb went to go get dressed.

_**(20 minutes later) Zoey**_

"Thanks for coming." I told Stevie Rae when she got here. She lifted the tell-tale piece of purple paper and read aloud:

"_The Four stand as one. _

_Though only one can save him. _

_But, can he be saved?_"

"Who's the him?" she asked. I shook my head. No one knew. Or, rather, no one wanted to believe the only actual possibility.

"Father." Rephaim stated quietly.

"No." I said too sternly.

"Maybe." Damien said, always the practical one.

"No." I said again. Stark rubbed my arm and whispered, "It could be." That crumbled me. Even Stark was on that side.

"But none of them would want to save him." I said quietly. Stark rubbed my back now in slow soothing circles.

"Well, we can't-" began Erin.

"-worry about that now." Shaunee finished.

"I swear you guys get worse as the years wear on, Dorkamese Twins." Aphrodite said.

"Be nice." Darius whispered.

"We have good news, though." Aphrodite said after a minute. We all turned our heads to look at her, We'd gotten no closer to figuring out who could save Kalona so we grateful for some good news. "I'm pregnant." she said when she was sure she had all of our attention.

"What?" I asked. Darius nodded, grinning wider than I'd ever seen.

"Well, congratulations!" Damien said. Aphrodite was so happy she let him and both the Twins hug her. I got to hug her and so did Rephaim, Stevie Rae, and Stark. And, most remarkable, is she _hugged us all back. _

"Something else to deny for eternity?" I asked.

"We've been over this already, Z. If I denied letting all of you hug me, I'd also have to deny how happy I am at this moment. And there is no way I would ever do that." she replied. That pretty thoroughly ended the serious part of the meeting.

**That's that. I'm sorry if it's short. I know I listed Raven Mocker as an option up there but, please, no. Those would be Cassidy's uncles I don't do incest. You could make it an immortal from Nyx's realm though… Don't all of you do that now. Well, that's all I have to say. Home sick from school again today, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	4. Author's Note!

**AUTHOR'S NOTE! Sorry, I know I don't usually do these. But I have important information and neither the time or the inspiration to do a chapter. Hence the Author's note chapter. But, at the end of this I have loopholes. You're not allowed to do chapters that are completely A/N's or chapters that are one or two liners so… I'll have three random lines at the end of this chapter! Yeah so… I bet you're wondering what the important news was that I had to tell you and drag you out here for… Well the news is that my mom finally let me turn my PM's on! How did I accomplish this? I'll show you the conversation I had with my mom. **

"**Mom, you really need to stop deleting my FanFiction E-mails." I told her. **

"**Can't you just get on FanFiction and see what the E-mails are telling you?" **

"**Not my PM's! Since you made me turn it off, they only go to your E-mail. They're supposed to go there and my FanFiction inbox but they only go there. And then you delete them and I can't read them!" **

"**So turn them on." **

"**Really? I can turn on my PM's?" **

"**Yeah. But don't give any personal information*." **

***Instead of personal information insert words like name, address, yada yada yada. **

**So, that's what I have to tell you guys. Also, if you guys obsess over vamps and not just HoN vamps like I do, then you're in for a treat. Go to the Vampire Diaries page and check out my new story **_**In Your Arms**_**. Well, that is if you're not a Delena fan. I'm a Stelena and Donnie fan. If that confused you Delena= DamonxElena, Stelena= StefanxElena, and Donnie= DamonxBonnie. I don't like Delena. Donnie all the way. Fight me on that I don't care. That's all I have to say. Now, three random lines of story. **

_**Kalona**_

Kalona was sad.

He didn't like Neferet.

So, he didn't like her but could run away, hence why he was sad.

**Very happy, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	5. Hidden

**I feel the bullets already… Don't kill me, I've been busy! Alright, now that that's taken care of, don't hate me because of this chapter. I KNOW you don't like the poems that won't most likely be answered for two more stories. But, this one's been swarming in my head for days so that I have it memorized, though it's so long. So, DEAL! And, I realized most of you already know my plan, simply from my A/N's. I didn't even realize I'd given so much away LOL! And to a reviewer who asked, a POV is short for Point of View. All right, I'll begin now. Read On! **

Chapter 4: Hidden

_**Kramisha**_

Kramisha looked at the piece of purple paper in her hand. "Dang, why ain't these ever good?" she asked aloud to herself.

_**Zoey**_

Finally! A day off! Stevie Rae took over for the day so I could relax at home. I woke up and Stark had his arms wrapped around me. I inhaled and smelled his shampoo and felt so safe. I felt him stir and he kissed my neck.

"Good morning, beautiful." he said.

"G'morning." I turned my head and kissed his lips. Then, of course, the phone rang. I picked it up and check the caller ID. Kramisha.

"Hello, Zoey. Sorry to bug ya, but we got a situation."

"What, Kramisha?" I asked, crankily.

"Don't get moody. It's another poem, definitely about Kalona."

I sighed. "Is it important?"

"Sounds like it."

"I'll be right there." I hung up and turned back to Stark. "Oh, my loving husband, I don't get a bed day after all."

"Poem?" he asked. I nodded once and he pulled himself up. "Well, we won't get nowhere just sitting here."

_**Stevie Rae**_

In the middle of her 4th period, Stevie Rae got a similar call.

_**(half an hour later) Aphrodite**_

Aphrodite was getting big. And, yet, every size she grew she got more excited. She was eight months. The due date was August 21, 2019. In two months the kids would be 8. Wow. But, when she got to the meeting room, she was surprised that she and Darius were last there. That was surprising.

"Here at last, Aphro?" Shaunee asked. For once, Erin seemed to think the sentence was good enough on it's own.

"Yes, Thing 2" Aphrodite said. She had decided a while ago that Erin was Thing 1 and Shaunee was Thing 2. You know, from Cat in the Hat?

"Can we get on with this?" Zoey asked, still grumpy from being taken from her day off.

"Sure, grump." Aphrodite told her, smiling. "What's the poem, Kramisha?"

"Well, you guys might want to read it. I ain't got good grammar and stuff." Kramisha replied.

"Fine." Aphrodite growled. She took it.

"_Above the Earth_

_And in the Air. _

_Gold in eyes _

_And dark in hair. _

"_Doused with water, _

_and written in fire. _

_The name of his heart's_

_one true desire. _

"_The night before battle, _

_the father of many, the daughter of two. _

_Reunited at Midnight_

_For a love that is true. _

"_A battle on the morrow. _

_Answer to the riddle. _

_Two hearts and two people_

_caught in the middle._**"**

"Well, that sounds pleasant." Erin said.

"Very pleasant." Shaunee said.

"We should start to decipher."

_**Zoey**_

"Nothing makes sense, except for the third and last stanza." I said.

"So we'll start at the third and figure the rest out later." Stark said calmingly. I nodded.

"C-can you start, Damien?"

"Sure, Z." he said calmingly. I thought fleetingly of his love, Jack. He was somewhere with the Goddess, at peace. But, Damien had never really gotten over him. He'd dated a time or two but none of them stuck. And every year he had red eyes on their anniversary, Christmas, Jack's birthday, and the anniversary of Jack's death. "Well, obviously, it's the night before Neferet arrives. The father of many would have to be Kalona because no one has as many kids as him."

"Well, it's pointing to that Father falls in love. I'd've never thought it possible." Rephaim said. I agreed whole-heartedly. "Maybe it's only the girl-" Kramisha cut him off.

"It's mutual."

"That's not possible. How do you know, anyway?" I said.

"I dunno. I wrote the dang thing. Maybe the Goddess is letting me know it's mutual. But, _I know_."

"Next stanza." Stevie Rae said impatiently.

"In the battle the next night we'll find the answers to the riddle and two people won't be able to pick a side in this fight. Most likely Kalona and the girl from the poem." I said. And, that's when everything clicked for me. The dark hair, the poems. Everything. But, even with the answer staring me in the face I wouldn't look at it. I looked over it, beside it, under it, and even through it. Finally I stomped it down in my mind and was only capable of breathing one word, one syllable.

"_No." _

**That's all. Cliffhanger! Don't you love those? And, I want to know what you think her realization was. I want to see how many of you know. And, I want to give a shout oot to the author inquiete. She's (?) an amazing author who is on my (your favorite author's [I hope]) favorite's list. I strongly recommend her (?) and thank her for the awesome entertainment! Well, that being said, I'm leaving. Tired and wondering what ya'll know, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	6. Unseen

**Hello! Welcome back to my humble work! I know many of you are wondering what is going on with Kalona. This chapter was actually meant for later but it will answer this question. I actually got a reviewer asking what was up with him/her (I dunno…) here is the review. **

"_**Sorry but I think you should change Kalona, I am not sure if he is evil or just trying to find love again, can you please tell me?" -Jaimie**_**. I'm sorry if it was confusing, but his behavior is part of the story line. We actually have a different POV this chapter. I won't tell you who, you'll find out. So, this chapter is dedicated to 1) Jaimie, and 2) inquiete, both of whom helped me get off my lazy butt and write this chapter. I award you with sugar cookies and a slice of chocolate cake and a virtual kitty, too! Everyone else gets just cookies. TVD will be updated soon, too. Well, this A/N is probably almost or over 200 words so I'll stop talking. Read On! **

Chapter 5: Unseen

_**Nyx**_

Nyx looked down at her children through a pond she had enchanted. She noted that they all seemed happy enough. She tapped the pool with a finger and as the ripples spread, the picture changed. She now viewed a young man, one with pitch black raven's wings.

"Kalona." she whispered to no one in particular. He looked up as if he had heard her, but soon shook his head and laid it back in his hands. He, for one, appeared troubled. Heath walked up behind her and began to speak.

"Looking at Zo?" he asked. The Goddess shook her head. Heath looked down and saw his murderer. "Kalona?" he inquired, shocked.

"He's not as bad as you might think." was her only reply. "Now shoo, Heath. I need to think." The dead teenager nodded his compliance and stalked off. She tapped again and the image zoomed in.

"He's not evil. He's held too much anger for too long and it turned to hatred. Darkness fed off of it and made it worse. Too long. He's almost too far gone. I've sent him chance after chance. First A-ya. All he wanted was her body. He was then trapped so I thought the problem was solved. But, I couldn't let him live like that. So, I sent him Neferet. Look what happened to her…" her word to no one but herself drifted off. She centered herself and continued. She had to work this through, had to make it better. "So, I sent Zoey. And, he almost had her. Then, he killed Heath and almost killed so Stark so obviously that would not work out. I only have one more person to send him, and I have it backed with all I have. I have bound him and Layla, so that no curse may keep him away. But, it is ultimately up to him and her. How can I help?" She finished her thoughts and a new one popped up.

She closed her eyes and sent a message to one of her children. _"When you love someone, Layla, love all of them, good and bad. Remember…"_ she whispered, the words spreading loudly in Layla's mind. And, for years in the future the message stuck. Layla Anne Stark would never forget the message her Goddess sent her. _"Yes, ma'am." _was the young girl's reply.

_**Aphrodite**_

Aphrodite laid in bed, almost halfway asleep. There was a sharp pain in her stomach and when she opened her eyes, the bed was wet.

"Darius!" she screamed. He ran in, there even before she closed her mouth.

"Yes?"

"My water broke." He looked out the window. It was 3 in the afternoon.

_**Stark**_

"What?" he yelled into the phone. He should've been asleep, but Joi had a nightmare and he had to put her back to bed, thankful for the blackout curtains. And, then the phone rang. It was Darius.

"I said her water-" he began again.

"I know what you said!" he yelled looking at his sleeping wife. Zoey had been so tired recently. But, he couldn't go aand one of them at least had to be there. Neither Stevie Rae nor Rephaim could go either. There was always Damien and the Twins… no, it was only right to have a High Priestess there. "Zoey will be there shortly." He hung up and slowly walked over to wake up his wife.

_**(15 minutes later) Zoey (the infirmary)**_

"Aphrodite Carter?" I asked at the nursing station.

"Room 137, second floor, maternity ward." the lady answered, falsely pleasant. She kept glaring at my Mark. I nodded my thanks and ran upstairs.

"Hello, Darius." I said when I reached the room. He walked over.

"Thanks for coming. Damien's at the adoption agency and the Twins are at their boyfriends' house."

"No problem. Who're they dating now?" I asked curiously.

"Cole and T.J."

"Really? Again? I thought they were finally over once and for a-" as I was finishing up what I was saying, alarm sounded and a light flashed. "What's going on?" I shouted above the noise. It was the doctor who answered me.

"She dropped her Jell-O and bent over to reach this. The umbilical cord jerked the wrong way and snapped. We'll have to perform and emergency C-section. Family only!" he turned to Darius. "Are you the father?" Darius nodded. "Follow me." I began to follow also and was stopped. "Are you family?" I opened my moth to answer but never got a chance to.

"Yes, Zoey is family. Let her in." Aphrodite said. The doctor looked at her, and looked at her mountain of a husband and nodded.

"Fine, but leave all metal instruments and electronic devices out here." Me and Darius nodded and quickly emptied our pockets. We then followed the doctor into the O.R.

**Cliffhanger! Don't hate me. I figured it was long enough, even though it's still really short. Cliffhangers are so fun! Well, not for you guys but… I hope this answered some questions. I really dunno what'll happen next. You'll have to wait for my next update to find out. I know what you're all thinking "It's gonna take forever… This chick is so slow…" Well, I have good news. My school year ends this upcoming Wednesday. Which means (*drum roll sounds out of nowhere*) I'll have more time to update. Well, aside from my obsessive need to read and the new original story I'm writing… But, I'll have more time around that… I have a hilarious story to tell. My brother (he's 6) wanted juice. My mom told him no and he had to drink water. He got angry and said in the most serious voice "I'm telling God on you". It was so funny! Well, that's all I have to say. Really super excited for the end of school, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	7. Buried

**Hello. I was actually considering updating TVD again, but I have ideas for this too. I'm actually gonna do something new. I'm gonna put a time skip in the middle of the chapter because I have ideas for later, and remember, this book has a 7 year time span so I have a lot to cover. But, I will pick up where I left off last. I won't torture you like that. But, I'm not giving away too many details of my new plot details, which were inspired by my recent rereading of **_**Awakened**_**. I'm only like halfway through, though lol. Well, enough of my rambling. Read On! **

Chapter 6:Buried

_**Zoey**_

I paused and texted Stevie Rae. She'd come over when the sun went down. Then I ran to catch up with them.

_**Aphrodite**_

"Save him! Save my baby!" Aphrodite screamed at the doctor. She had tears down her face and looked at Darius. "If they can only save one of us, save him." Her husband nodded, the Warrior also had tears in his eyes. Aphrodite laid her head back and smiled a ghost of a smile. She let the anesthesia take over.

_**Darius**_

"Save her! Save her, please!" the Warrior yelled, almost crying. His baby was dying and he didn't know what to do. The doctors said nothing as they led him and Zoey Redbird to the O.R.

"I don't think it's her in danger here." Zoey said, the calming power of the Goddess emanating from her voice. He knew this of course. But still he was terrified. He didn't know what to do anymore.

"I'm so worried about both of them." is all he said.

_**Zoey**_

I looked at my friends, one on bed, sleeping with a baby dying inside, the other looking as though his spirit was dying along with the baby. We reached the O.R. and the doctors immediately proceeded to grab a scalpel and cut.

"Spirit, strengthen her, protect her, and help that baby survive." I whispered, almost without sound. I felt the element swirl, eager to do my bidding. Aphrodite jerked slightly as the element slipped into her but not enough to throw off the doctor's precise cut.

"Are they too late?" Darius asked.

"I don't think so." I whispered back. As if to prove my point, the doctors pulled out a screeching baby boy, perfectly healthy. "Thank you Spirit." I thanked the element and felt it die away.

"What is the baby's name?" a female doctor asked. It jarred Darius out of his worries and he answered quite senselessly.

"Huh?"

"What is the baby's name?" the doctor asked patiently.

"Nohlin. Nohlin James Carter." he replied as he walked over to his wife. He stroked her hair and held her limp hand, awaiting her awakening. He stood there as the doctors sewed the stitches into her stomach. It was hours before she awoke, but I watched him hold her hand through those hours, all the while holding baby Nohlin in the other arm. Stevie Rae arrived and was uber glad to know both of them were fine.

_**(3 hours) Joi (At Home)**_

She was sitting on the couch with Lay-Lay at Kramisha's when it happened. Kramisha was babysitting because when the sun went down, Daddy went to the hospital along with Aunt Stevie Rae and Uncle Rephaim. Kramisha was the only one left aft home. And then the pain hit. In her head, her eyes. Then her vision shut off, went black. She screamed. She already knew what was happening. She was having a vision.

_She sees blood. Everywhere. Uncle Rephaim is fighting one of those Red Fledglings, almost like Alex, who was there, too, fighting another one. But, her gaze is drawn to a place about two and a half feet away from the battle, where three people stand on a natural rock formation, which is wide and jutting about a foot of the ground. One is a woman, with a older version of Joi's friend Cassidy, lying, bleeding at her feet. Her gaze was drawn over to a man, with a dark-haired woman standing, chin up, in front of him. He speaks. _

"_Stay with me. Be my queen. We will defeat Neferet and rule." She slowly shakes her head and speaks words, her voice all too familiar. _

"_No. I can't. Not like this. Goodbye, Kalona." She kisses him, long and deep and slow. She turns and, to Joi's shock, she sees a face she knows as well as her own. It's Layla, her twin, her sister, her best friend. She walks away. She turns and whispers, almost too low to hear. "I love you." _

Joi opened her eyes to see Kramisha standing over her along with her sister.

"I'm okay, Kramisha, Layla." she said, slowly. They nodded and for the rest of night treated her like royalty. It was only about another thirty minutes before Mom and Daddy showed up.

"What happened?" Zoey asked. She gave a short version of everything. When she got to the part about her sister, Joi stopped. She began to speak and paused when she heard a voice in her head.

"_Don't tell her. It's our secret. Don't tell anyone, not even Layla." _the voice was warm and Joi listened. She told her mom the sun covered the clouds when the girl turned and she couldn't see. And that's the story she stuck with.

_**(A Year Later) Zoey (Poetry Room, HoN) **_

"Another poem, Kramisha?" I asked. She nodded solemnly and handed it to me. I read it to my self.

_Trapped, but not bound. _

_Unable to escape. _

_Unloved but in love. _

_But could that be true? _

_Is he loved? _

_Can he be saved? _

_No one knows but the savior. _

_What would he choose? _

_A path, a way, a Light, a Darkness. _

_His guiding light, a beacon in the rain. _

_Hope, love, trust, is he worthy? _

_To give to him he must accept and give in return. _

_A Goddess's love, her guiding hand. _

_Light or Darkness? _

_He must pick with the help of she. _

Once again I knew, with one word, one name in my head I refused to acknowledge. _Layla_. It was buried as soon as it was said. I made a decision. We would take a vacation in a place I hoped we would always be safe. Skye. I called my husband.

"Stark, I'm arranging a vacation to visit some old friends. We're going to Skye."

"Skye?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Why all of a sudden?" I stopped talking. It was coming again, that God awful idea that could never be true.

"Because our daughters are 8 years old and they deserve to meet us." I hurried to say. I know he could hear the worry in my voice but wouldn't push it.

"Mmhmm." is all he said and I could hear all the doubt in his mind in those two little syllable. I hung up. And arranged it all with Stevie Rae. I couldn't stay here any more.

**How many of you didn't see the Layla thing coming? Nohlin is pronounced Nolan and is the last name I have picked out for my kids. It's Joi and Layla, then it's Kalleb and Nohlin. Cassidy is a backup. BTW, your reading the story of the Chorus Historian! Yay me! I'm obsessed with a song by Evanescence. It's called Forgive Me. You should listen to it if you haven't already. Well, that's all. Happy to be elected as Historian, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	8. Admitted

**Well, howdy there! Long time no see! Which is mostly my fault, but, eh, what's a girl to do? In this chapter, we have them arriving at Skye. We also have some conversation with Sgiach****. We might have some Stevaim, just cause they don't get enough time, and maybe some Johnson family time. But don't hold me to that. See the words **_**might**_** and **_**maybe**_**? That means I'll try but with no guarantee. So, that's that. Enjoy! Read On! **

Chapter 7: Admitted

_**Zoey**_

I stood outside the gateway to Skye. It was the first time I'd seen this side of it, though technically I'd stood here before. Or, laid, rather, as Stark had been carrying me. In the middle of my thoughts, I heard a voice.

"Who dares step foot on the Isle of Women?" the voice asked. I immediately recognized it as that of the Sgiach's Guardian, Seoras.

"Do we really have to go through this again?" Stark asked, being more than slightly sarcastic. Seoras appeared and smiled.

"So it be the wee Warrior, Stark of the MacUallis clan, though I must say, you don't look like the wee little boy you were the first you arrived here," Seoras claimed. I smiled. "I will go to fetch the Queen," Seoras said. He returned a moment later. Sgiach stood at his side.

"Zoey!" she shouted, sounding awfully girlish. I smiled wider. I saw her eyes scan my family. "And who are these two little ones?"

"This is Layla," I indicated the daughter most resembling me, "and this is Joi." I indicated the daughter bearing Stark's features. "They're my eight-year-old twins."

"Eight years? And you haven't come to see us?" Sgiach asked, sounding almost offended.

"We haven't found the opportunity. Both me and Z work full-time at the school," Stark answered.

"Well, lassie's, I be Seoras. Glad to meet yu." The Warrior smiled and nodded at my daughters in greeting.

"Well, this is no place to be catching up. _Failte gu ant Eilean nan Sgiath. _Welcome back to my Isle, Stark and Zoey. And a very warm first welcome to Layla and Joi." The Queen smiled and we followed her back to the castle.

_**(1 Hour Later) Zoey (The Throne Room)**_

"Zoey tell me. Why have you returned to my Isle all of a sudden?" Sgiach asked me. The words sent and ice cold stab of fear through my chest.

"I missed you guys. And I thought it was time enough for you to meet my daughters. My natural ones anyways. I adopted one. She's married with one of her own on the way," I replied, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Zoey, do not betray my trust now. Don't lie to me."

"I can't tell you what I haven't even told my husband."

"Maybe that's why you should tell me. I'm not so closely involved," she told me, calmly, soothingly, with a motherly love I haven't heard since I was 13. And, I somehow found my self telling her.

"Look at these first. I'll explain as you finish," I said, and handed her several pieces of purple paper. I had all of them memorized and spoke them in my head as she read each one.

_Trapped, but not bound._

_Unable to escape._

_Unloved but in love._

_But could that be true?_

_Is he loved?_

_Can he be saved?_

_No one knows but the savior._

_What would he choose?_

_A path, a way, a Light, a Darkness._

_His guiding light, a beacon in the rain._

_Hope, love, trust, is he worthy?_

_To give to him he must accept and give in return._

_A Goddess's love, her guiding hand._

_Light or Darkness?_

_He must pick with the help of she._

* * *

><p><em>Above the Earth<em>

_And in the Air._

_Gold in eyes_

_And dark in hair._

_Doused with water,_

_and written in fire._

_The name of his heart's_

_one true desire._

_The night before battle,_

_the father of many, the daughter of two._

_Reunited at Midnight_

_For a love that is true._

_A battle on the morrow._

_Answer to the riddle._

_Two hearts and two people_

_caught in the middle._

* * *

><p><em>The Four stand as one.<em>

_Though only one can save him._

_But, can he be saved?_

* * *

><p><em>Two by Two is Four<em>

_Four will stand against the dark_

_Four will lead in the war for life_

_As the cold one gives her last remark._

_The blood of the innocent_

_The tear of the lost_

_The heart of the true_

_What will victory cost?_

_Make the choice_

_Listen to your heart and soul_

_The black of the night_

_And the white of the bull._

"What does this have to do with you coming here?" Sgiach asked. I steeled myself for the horrible thing I was about to say.

"Well, the girl they talk about saving Kalona, I think it might be Layla."

**I'm so so so sorry for not updating for almost a month now, I've been so super busy and I just wasn't feeling this chapter. Well, for my fans in the U.S.A., happy 4****th**** of July. For my fans in different countries, I'm really sorry that excludes you but my dad's in the army and I am an American so I feel honor-bound to say it. But, I'm gonna go watch some fireworks. Goodbye, I love you all, and I'll see you soon! Glad to be posting a chapter, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	9. Agreed

**Hello! I know, I know, you've missed me terribly. I'm kidding… I'm just really sarcastic… Anyways, we will definitely see some Johnson family moments in this one, Cassidy and Kalleb are part of the four, and therefore important. So, their section is needed! I know, you want to see what's goin' on with Z and Sgiach, but you'll see them, too. Speaking of Z and Sgiach, some of you noticed in their conversation last chapter that Lillia had 'one on the way'. I'm now confirming that, yes, Lillia is pregnant. So, let's move to the story, before I fill a page with my A/N. But, let me explain something real quick. So, I know my updates have been all over the place lately, due to two new stories, but I'll try to get back on a schedule. So, it'll be **_**Foreseen**_**, or after **_**Foreseen **_**is over, **_**Gifted **_**first. Next, I'll probably update **_**The Vampyre's Daughter**__**(TVD)**_**. After I do that, it'll most likely be **_**Heal My Broken Heart (HMBH)**_**. Then the cycle will restart. My truth or dare is a 'when I feel like updating and/or have Writer's Block thing' and therefore may interrupt the schedule and is not part of it. Everybody got that? Cool. So, I hope you enjoy. Read On! **

Chapter 8: Agreed

_**Stevie Rae**_

Stevie Rae glanced at the clock in the classroom. In five, four, three, two… and so the bell rang and released her last class of the day.

"Goodbye class! See ya'll on Monday!" she called. She got a few replies from some of her nicer students before the classroom emptied. A student approached her as she sat on one of the benches lining the wall of the fencing room.

"Yes, Annalise?" she asked. The girl in front of her smiled.

"Professor Stevie Rae, I'm having problems with some of the moves we learned today. Would it be a problem if we had one on one training sometime?" the girl smiled radiantly. She was such a shy girl, and Zoey's student she was mentoring for the year. Stevie Rae smiled back.

"Of course. But, I have plans with my family for the weekend, so how about before school on Monday?"

"That would be great! Thanks, High Priestess!" Annalise smiled, waved goodbye, and was gone in an instant. A moment later, someone else walked in. But, she was much more eager to see this person.

"Hello, gorgeous," Rephaim said to her, making her smile.

"Hello to you, too," she replied with a smile. She fell forward into his arms and placed a kiss on his lips. Stevie Rae smiled, glad that they had this one moment before they had to go pick up the kids. But, alas, it was over too soon.

"We must go, darling. You know how Cass gets if we're late," he said with a smile. She shook her head. Cassidy was spoiled, and could be a royal witch sometimes. She thought she ruled something, but she wasn't quite sure what she ruled yet, but by Nyx if she figured it out, whoever lived there would be knee deep in horse crap. The thought made Stevie Rae laugh. Her husband looked at her questioningly.

"What's so funny?" he asked. She laughed harder.

"I was just thinking of how Cass thinks she rules something' just doesn't know what yet, and if she ever figures it out, whoever lives there is gonna be in a load of trouble." They both laughed and they walked outside. She watched as Rephaim spread his wings, and, with her in his arms, took off for the sky.

_**Cassidy**_

"They're late." Cassidy said to her much more easy-going brother. He laughed at her.

"Cass, the world is not wrapped around you're little finger. Maybe they hit traffic."

"In the sky?" she asked sarcastically.

"How do you know they're flying? How do you know they didn't use Aunt Zoey's car?" Cassidy stared at her brother, wondering how he could be so oblivious.

"It's out front, idiot!" Her brother got angry.

"Well, at least I was actually doing something this morning instead of sleeping!"

"Like what?" The boy shook his head.

"None of your business," he lowered his voice, immediately with a cooled anger. His sister, on the other hand, was much more fired up. She smiled evilly.

"I know what you were doing. You took Uncle Darius' sword again. You were training. Daddy told you not to, he said you're too young," she said evilly. She loved to bully her brother, so much more timid than she.

"Was not!" her brother temper flared again, the wings on his back twitching slightly like they always did when his anger was up. His sister was ready fore a fight, though. She was still angry. The candles in the room suddenly lit and flared. Their Uncle Darius walked in.

"Now, why are you two fighting?" he asked. Cassidy opened her mouth to speak, but Kalleb quickly interrupted her.

"Cassidy called me an idiot," he said. Cassidy waited, like a cat waits for her pray to walk in front of her, for the perfect moment. She smiled sweetly, playing innocent.

"And Kalleb borrowed your sword to train again." Darius looked at the sky. He then looked at her brother.

"Are you any good?" he asked.

"I think so. I made little targets. They move a little bit, and it can hit them when I throw the sword, and I'm also pretty good at aiming with the sword in my hands. I don't have the muscle to do it for long, though," he replied excitedly. His uncle looked away, then back after a moment.

"Well, I'll have to talk with your mother and father about training with you sometime." Darius smiled and looked at his niece.

"But Daddy told him not to!" Cassidy said, flabbergasted. How dare he not get him in trouble! Then, he had the nerve to smile at her.

"Yes, he did. But, sometimes even grown-ups are wrong." He smiled once more at them both and walked away, leaving them in the living room. Cassidy watched after him, disgusted, and frustrated, began playing with her Barbies again.

_**(5 Minutes Later) Rephaim (Aphrodite and Darius' Kitchen Table) **_

"Absolutely not! He's a child!" Rephaim said, furious. Darius had no right to contest his will. Kalleb was his child, not theirs. They had enough on their hands, with Nohlin. Darius, sitting across from him, remained frustratingly calm.

"Yes, but a very mature one. But, that is why it would not be often. But, he wants to learn to use what the Goddess has given him. And, I believe you should let him." Rephaim was about to speak, but his wife interrupted.

"He is eight years old, Rephaim. He's obviously intelligent and capable. Maybe we should let him. Don't you want him to have the best chance he can in twelve years?" Rephaim shook his head.

"Of course I do," he said, "But, he is a child. He deserves his childhood, not a time where he can look back and remember nothing but fighting and training, like I can," he said. He shook his head again. "I won't do that to my son."

"Oh, Rephaim. He will have a childhood, as will Cassidy. But, do you really want him looking back and remembering that his parents wouldn't let him do the thing that makes happy?" Stevie Rae said. Rephaim sighed.

"No." He turned to Darius and nodded. "I give you my blessing. Now, where are my children?" Darius called them in and Rephaim pulled them into his arms. He looked at Kalleb.

"Hey, Kal, how would you like it if I let you train with Uncle Darius once a month?" he asked, smiling. Kalleb smiled back up at him.

"Thank you, Daddy. I'd like that a lot," he replied. Rephaim kissed his son on top of his head. He then turned to his daughter.

"That goes for you, too, if you like. I'm sure Aunt Shaunee wouldn't mind helping you out, showing you what you can do," he told her and smiled.

"Two things. One is, you're late. Two, I'd be happy if you asked her," Cass said.

"Hate to be rude, but we gotta go. We only have about twenty minutes until the sun's up," Stevie Rae said. So, they said their goodbyes, and drove off in Z's Bug.

_**Zoey**_

So, I told Sgiach the story, beginning to end, starting from the time Nyx visited us. She sat and listened. When I was done, she laughed.

"What about that tells you that the poems talk about Layla?" I shook my head; sighed.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm paranoid. In the vision, the girl resembles me, like Layla does. The girl's hair is brown, like Layla's. I considered Lillia, but her hair is too light a brown. Layla was the reasonable explanation," I said. Sgiach chuckled.

"If it is her, the future may be prevented. Have you told your daughters about Kalona? If you haven't they won't take precautions." Realizing she was right, I nodded, hugged her, and walked to find my daughters.

_**Layla**_

"So, I have a story to tell you," Zoey began. Layla listened. "When, I was sixteen, I was a third former at the House of Night. The High Priestess was named Neferet, she was evil. She released an evil angel named Kalona." Layla's eyes opened in shock, but she wiped the expession off of her face before her mother saw. She didn't know why, but her mother couldn't know that the man with the wings in her dreams was named Kalona.

"This man, he had sons. They were call Raven Mockers. They looked like giant ravens with human arms and legs. They also had red, though human eyes. They were evil. They killed people. Uncle Rephaim was one of them, and he killed one of my teachers. But, he met your Aunt Stevie Rae, and she made him good, showed him something other than Kalona, so Kalona let him go, disowned him upon his request and Nyx came and gifted him with a human form during the day and that of a full raven at night.

"But, his brothers are still evil, and so is his father, Kalona. You need to know this. I'll explain why when you're older, just remember this, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy," Joi said.

"Yup," Layla said. Zoey hugged her and her sister and led them to the dining hall for dinner.

**So, that's my chapter. Tell me what you liked, what you didn't, and just make sure the review button has some friends, cool? Tell me what you're favorite part was. Next chapter is another Layla and Kalona dream scene. Anyways, there isn't much to say. And, if you guys guessed that Lillia was the Zoey-girl, you figured out why she's not. And, final thing, Lillia will be returning soon... Probably... Waiting for reviews, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	10. Seen

**Hi! I missed you guys (not in a stalkerish kind of way)! I started working on my ToD, but I am SOOOOO excited to do this chapter! I'm pretty sure you'll like it too. It's a Layla-Kalona dream chapter. I think it'll be funny. So, without further ado, I present my chapter. Read On**_**! **_

Chapter 9: Seen

_**Layla**_

"Mama, I'm tired," Layla said. Her mother led her to her room, tucked her in, and turned out the light.

"Good night, baby," Zoey said.

"Night." Layla closed her eyes. She imagined a name flashing in front of the darkness beneath her eyelids. _Kalona, Kalona, Kalona… _As she slipped farther into sleep's darkness, other things were brought to her mind. His wings. His hair. His eyes. His face. His body. She slowly lost consciousness, seeing these things and more…

_**Kalona**_

Kalona heard a voice calling him. A voice that he knew all too well. It was Layla. She was calling him to her. To her dreams. He laid in bed and closed his eyes and allowed himself to be pulled to her.

_**Layla (Layla's Dream) **_

"Hello, Layla." That warm voice wrapped around her, trying to make her feel safe. She ignored the feeling.

"Who are you?" Her voice was sharp, immediately triggering a response.

"Y-You know me," he said, stuttering through his shock.

"No, no I don't," she said. "I know what you've told me. Tell me who you are."

"You're mother has told you things about me, I see?"

"Yes. Now tell me." She was unafraid. She knew he could not- nor would he- hurt her.

"I am Nyx's former Warrior." Layla gasped.

"Former? Why not now?" she asked. He smiled, grimly and without humor.

"I was sent away by her. Because I loved her and she did not return it. Because I could not accept the fact the she loved Erebus and could never be mine. She cast me down. I did horrible things child," he said. She shook her head.

"Then why are you kind to me?"

"Child, you are wise beyond your years. But, alas, I don't know. I cannot tell you that. Just as I can not tell you how I am still able to access you're dreams when you're mother set an enchantment to keep me away. Layla, I am not the one with the answers."

"But, Kalona, no one does have them. But I want to know." She shook her head, confused.

"I know, Layla. But I cannot tell you," he said, sounding sincerely regretful. Layla shook her head, still so confused. Then, a new face walked into her dreams.

"Hello, young one," the Goddess said. Kalona looked at her with a mix of admiration, respect, fear, and shame.

"Hello Nyx. What brings you to my head?" Layla smiled, taking pride in her own cleverness. The Goddess smiled at her.

"Nyx, I-," Kalona began. The Goddess looked at him, disapproval and something else indeterminable in her gaze.

"Be quiet, Kalona. I have no time for your foolish words." The shame in Kalona's eyes grew, and Layla felt sorry for her friend. _"Can he still be my friend?" _Layla wondered. She looked at him until she heard the Goddess' voice. "Layla, ignore him. Focus on me, for I have things to tell you." Layla looked at her.

"Yes, Goddess?" Nyx smiled at her.

"Child, do not ever tell your mother that you know him. If you do, this is what will happen." Nyx waved her hand and an image appeared in the air.

_Layla sits on her bed, weeping. She's older, maybe sixteen. Zoey stands across the room, angry and disapproving. _

"_Mom, I-" she begins to say. Zoey shakes her head. _

"_No, Layla. I don't care what he told you. He is no friend, no ally. You lied to me for years. He's a liar, an atrocity. Why, Layla?" _

"_Mom, I-" she tries once more is cut of again by her mother. _

_Save it Layla," Zoey says. "I don't want to hear anymore." Zoey abruptly turns and walks away, tears welling up in her eyes. Layla cries, then whispers three words only she can hear. _

"_I…" _

Nyx waved her hand and the image disappeared.

"That is what awaits you if you tell your mother when you are older. If you tell her now, then you will never see him again." Layla glanced once more in his direction.

"No, Layla! Look at me," the Goddess said, voice stern. Layla turned to face her and the Goddess said, "Remember what you saw tonight. Remember your sorrow, and your mother's anger and anguish. Don't forget…" Nyx leaned down and kissed Layla on her forehead. It stung a little where her lips touched. "Goodbye, my daughter," Nyx said. And, like that, she disappeared. Layla glanced at Kalona.

"I can hear Mom telling me to wake up. I have to go. We will talk more," she said. He nodded and gradually faded away, mixed emotions upon his face.

_**Zoey**_

"Wake up, Layla," I said. I shook her gently. Slowly her eyes opened, crusty from sleep.

"Morning, Mama," she said, smiling. She was missing one of her front teeth and it was adorable. I smiled back.

"Good morning, baby. How are you?" She yawned.

"Tired," she replied. I laughed. She then lifted her head and rubbed her eyes. I looked at her and noticed something. I gasped.

"What, Mama? What is it?" It took me a while to form a reply. I was too busy staring at the tiny black star in the middle of her forehead.

"I'll show you. Come." I led her to the bathroom and sat her on the counter. She looked in the mirror and slowly raised a hand to her forehead.

"Wow! Isn't this a sign from Nyx?" she asked, excited. I smiled and nodded.

_**Layla**_

Layla smiled, and she truly was excited, but she kept remember the Goddess' words. _Remember… Remember… _She shoved the troubled thoughts out of her head and smiled at everyone. Joi was the one most excited. That was how the day went. When, at sunrise, Zoey got a phone call.

"Hello?" Zoey said, not recognizing the number. Layla heard the voice through the phone and smiled. So did her mother. "What?" "Really?" "Okay…" "Sure." "Love you, too." "Bye." Zoey hung up and smiled.

"What is it?" Stark asked. He too had recognized Lillia's voice but hadn't been able to hear the other side of the conversation.

"There's been a change of plans. At sundown we're going back to Tulsa. Lillia and Alex just touched down. They'll be staying with Stevie Rae and Rephaim until we get back. There were joyous shouts all around. Layla smiled, glad that her new Mark was forgotten about.

_**Damien (in Tulsa)**_

"Mr. Maslin," the receptionist at the adoption agency began, "we have decided, that, though you are single, you would prove to be an excellent candidate. Congratulations." Damien sat back in the chair, mind reeling.

"Are you sure?" he asked, positive he must be dreaming. She smiled.

"Yes, Mr. Maslin. Would you like to adopt a male or female?"

"Female," Damien answered happily.

"What age?"

"Very young. Maybe, three to nine months?"

"And, lastly, would you like one already named or would you like to name it?"

"I would like to name her," Damien replied. The lady smiled and led him back. In one of the rooms, a bunch of children sat, all ages. The oldest looked thirteen, and the youngest looked barely old enough to be out of the hospital. He looked at young ones. Most of them were sleeping. One of them, was up and crawling around. One of the workers was trying to get her but they couldn't get a hold of her. Damien chuckled.

"Mr. Maslin? Have you made a choice?" Damien nodded and lifted up the crawling baby.

"How old is she?" he asked.

"Seven months." Damien smiled and looked at her. She was absolutely perfect. She had ear length auburn hair and the most gorgeous bright blue eyes. She smiled and he rocked her slowly until she fell asleep in his arms.

"Mr. Maslin, would you mind me asking what you wish to name her?" Damien smiled.

"Jacquelinne Elizabeth Maslin." He smiled once more at the baby in his arms.

**Okay, before you review asking, JACQELINNE IS NOT JACK REBORN! THE NAME WAS JUST IN HONOR OF JACK! Now that that's settled, how did you like the chapter? I started it forever ago and just now had time to finish because- wait for it, wait for it- I'm home sick AGAIN! But, whatevs. At least the chapter's done. I'm going to post this then try to take a nap, so peace! Tired, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	11. Broken

**So, this is my last HoN Halloween chapter. Which is good I'd say since it's after Thanksgiving. Speaking of which, Happy Thanksgiving! No, I'm not doing another cycle of Thanksgiving stories. This is enough Holiday themed chapters for now. Also, I've had sudden inspiration so the Halloween theme won't be so prominent this chapter. So, shall we start? Yes? Wait, no? Fine, bye *walks out*. *walks in* Haha, you fell for it! I'm not quittin'! So, I think we'll actually start. Read On!**

Chapter 10: Broken

_**Zoey**_

We touched down on Oklahoma soil. It smelled of autumn, of things turning beautiful and just beginning to die. It smelled of the promise of first snowfall, of happiness and love. I smiled. I searched the airport for a familiar face. I saw them waiting for me, for us, at the back.

"Mama!" Lillia yelled. I ran towards her and hugged her. Her stomach had a hard feel and it was round. She was about four months along.

"Zoey, good to see you! Stark!" Alex stepped towards us. Him and Stark had that weird guy hug. You know when they liked do that hand shake and have that weird one arm hug thing going on? Then he stepped towards me, smiling. Stevie Rae had Cassidy's hand and Rephaim's on the other. Rephaim was holding Kalleb's hand. I hugged them all. I had missed them so.

"I want to go see Damien." That was a comment form Lillia. I raised my eyebrows. "The baby?" she said, incredulously. I nodded. Little Jacquelinne. I looked at the sky. The moon was still high. I nodded.

"Let's go."

_**Damien**_

Jacquelinne cried incessantly. Damien tried everything. He rocked her. He fed her. He changed her. He walked around with her. She wouldn't stop crying. Someone knocked on the door. Damien opened it and smiled.

"Z! Stark! Lillia! Alex!" he yelled. He hugged them and greeted the Johnsons.

"What's up?" Lillia asked. He shrugged.

"I can see you're busy," Alex said, that mischievous smirk on his face. Damien scowled. The baby still cried. Rephaim smiled.

"Let me try." Rephaim grabbed Jacquelinne gently and rocked her gently making shushing noises. Slowly, she quieted. Soon, she fell silent. Rephaim smiled and handed Damien his daughter back.

"How did you do that?" Damien asked. He smiled.

"Natural charm," Rephaim replied. Lillia interrupted them.

"Well, I was thinking, before you two get into it, I would propose something. Tomorrow's Halloween. How about I get the Twins, Aphrodite and Darius with Nohlin, Mom and Dad with Layla and Joi, Stevie Rae and Rephaim with Kalleb and Cassidy, and then Damien comes with Jacquelinne and we take the kids out Trick-or-Treating?"

"Sounds like a plan." Stevie Rae said. Lillia nodded.

"Then it's a plan." Everyone left and Damien went to bed and promptly fell asleep.

_**Kalona**_

Kalona spent the night waiting for the sun to rise. He knew Layla was not done with him yet. He shook his head and smiled, watching the dawn. A black bird flew by him. He looked in its eyes and saw something familiar flash there. The bird flew away and Kalona was left there dumbstruck. He shook his head and waited.

_Kalona… _His head jerked up. He smiled and let himself be pulled away to where she waited.

In her dream, she was dressed strangely. She wore an animal skin dress and the entire outfit resembled that of a Cherokee maiden. She had her hair braided and black and red feathers woven in.

"What an odd outfit," he remarked. She glanced down at herself.

"It's my Halloween costume. I'm a Cherokee." He chuckled. He was familiar with the modern concept of Halloween. Children dressed up as whatever they wished and the adults in the neighborhood gave them sweets. He didn't entirely understand the point, but found it slightly amusing.

"I can tell." He frowned. "I've had a long history with them."

"I assume you know why I've called you, Kalona," she stated. He looked at her again. She looked so much like her mother; strong Cherokee cheekbones, dark hair and eyes. Eyes that he now noticed seemed more prominent due to the small black star that would be in the middle of her crescent when she was Marked.

"The Goddess has claimed you as her own." It was not a question, but she nodded.

"That isn't the reason I'm here."

"I know. You want my story." She gave a stiff nod.

"My story begins in the Otherworld. I don't remember much from my time before I joined Nyx. So I'll start from there. I was only her Warrior… for a time. And, to her, that's all I ever was. But, I fell in love with her. Ch- Layla, I don't know if you believe I could love, but love her I did." Layla interrupted him.

"I believe you." He nodded and continued.

"Be that as it may, I loved her more with each passing day. And, the more I loved her, the angrier I became. I was angry that she wouldn't, couldn't love me back. I was angry that Erebus was her one and only. I became jealous. Nyx discovered that and gave me a choice.

"'Kalona, you can forget this. You can stay here as you long to and be happy. Or, if you cannot stop being so jealous and wanting what you shouldn't want, I will cast you down. What do you choose?' she said. I chose to fall. I fell and, for many years I continued to fight the Darkness I had so long defended the Goddess from. But, eventually, I grew tired of fighting. I embraced the Darkness and my snowy, angelic wings turned the dark inky black you see here.

"I happened upon a Cherokee settlement. I decided it might amuse me to stop by there. They worshiped me as a god. But, soon enough, I did horrible things to the women there. It's a very complicated story, but they trapped me. Neferet freed me. Your mother falls into this as the reincarnate of the maiden used to trap me. She was beginning to believe I could change when I killed her Consort. That's why she hates me so. Then, she had not heard from me for many years when I showed up at your first birthday party. Finally, we are brought to today's time." He concluded his tale. She had listened intently.

"That is the entire tale?" she asked quietly. Kalona nodded, waiting for her judgment. She stood, looking every bit as regal and wise as a Cherokee princess. He waited. Layla walked over to him and, much top his surprise, hugged him. "Don't lie to me again, okay?" He nodded and slowly returned the embrace.

"You do not hate me, child?" She shook her head. He was about to say something when she was suddenly jolted awake and he was cast from her mind.

_**Layla**_

"Wha-?" Layla was jolted awake to the sound of sobbing. It was Joi.

"Joi. Joi, what happened?" She walked and sat on her twin's bed and held her.

"I-I had a vision. Layla, it was horrible!" Joi sobbed. Layla held her and waited for the tears to slow. Then quietly, she prodded.

"Jojo, what happened?" Her sister was her closest friend. She wanted to know what was wrong.

"In my vision?" Joi asked, her eyes like their mother's blank. Layla nodded. Joi moved away, breathed, and steadied herself. "I saw Daddy and Kal dying." Her breath hitched on the last word but she managed not to cry. Layla stayed calm.

"How?" Joi closed her eyes.

"It was dark. There were kids and their parents dressed up all around. All of a sudden, a man showed up. He had a gun. Daddy tried to fight him off when the gun went off. It shot Kalleb. Daddy fought harder. It went off again. This time it hit Daddy. Then the man ran away."

"Where did it happen?"

"Corner of Hall Street and Churchill Road." Layla nodded.

"Go back to sleep. We'll tell Mama and Daddy in the morning." Joi nodded and they both fell back asleep.

_**Zoey**_

Stark sat at my side, ashen. He kept a strong face for the girls, though.

"Isn't that by Damien's house?" Stark nodded. I nodded back.

"Call everyone," he said. "Tell them to come by our house instead. Crisis averted." I nodded. He called Aphrodite and Darius. I called Damien. Layla and Joi called Stevie Rae and Rephaim from the house phone and then I called the Twins. We all reached an agreement and relaxed. As my husband had said, crisis averted.

_**Rephaim**_

His hand clenched the phone. His heart raced faster. Here were two little girls telling him about his son dying. Rephaim took a deep breath. So, they would go to Zoey's house. All would be well.

"Rephaim, honey, who is it?" Stevie Rae called.

"It's just Layla and Joi, darling," he called back. He spoke into the phone. "Are you positive, Jojo?"

"Yes, Uncle Rephaim," she replied, shaken to the core.

"Joi, it's alright. Kal and Daddy will be fine. You did everything just right." He heard her whimper.

"Okay."

"Alright, sweetie. I have to go now." The girls said goodbye and hung up the phone. Rephaim breathed a sigh of relief. _"Crisis averted," _he thought, smiling.

_**Cassidy**_

Cassidy grinned. She looked great in her outfit. She was a princess, as it should always be. Her dress was midnight blue, hemmed in false red teardrop gems. The tiara atop her head was plastic painted silver with sparkling blue false gems to match her dress. Her eyes were decorated with blue mascara and black eyeliner with grey eye shadow. She whispered into the air.

"Fire, come to me." Her pale skin took up an orange glow. "A little less." The glow dimmed. She grinned wider. She looked perfect. Her black hair was shining with an inner light in a braid down her back. Her blue eyes looked like perfect, pale gems that also glistened. She looked at her brother.

"Hey, Kal." He glanced at her. He had long-ish blonde hair the color of their mother's. It curled to a little lower than his ears. He was their father in all other aspects just as Cassidy was like her mother in all other aspects.

"Yes, Cass?"

"You look good too," is all she said. But she could tell he recognized the compliment and he grinned. He was a prince. He had a sword (not a real one) and a crown and fancy old timed clothes whose color scheme matched her own. They were a matching pair, a bundle. If you wanted one, you took both. Neither would live, would survive without the other. It had always been that way. Cassidy and Kalleb, trouble makers at heart.

Once they were done, they linked hands and strutted down the hallway like they owned the place.

"There's my special little girl!" Rephaim called at the sight of her. He picked her up and spun her around.

"Daddy!" she screeched while laughing. He joined her in that and set her down.

"And you, my little boy." He hugged Kal and Cassidy smiled at them both. Then, their mother walked in. Joy.

First thing she did was scream.

"My babies! You look so cute!" She screamed again and hugged them both. Cass and Kal wiggled themselves out and groaned.

"Mama, we're grown up now," Kalleb complained.

"Yeah," Cassidy chimed in. "And we're not babies!" Stevie Rae nodded, appearing to give in.

"You're right," she paused. "BUT YOU'RE STILL SO CUTE!" Cassidy hit her forehead with her hand, just as Kalleb did.

"Facepalm," Kal whispered. Then the two of them broke out laughing.

"What just happened?" Rephaim asked. The two laughed harder. They're parents were just confused. But, then the two just smiled, linked hands, and walked to Zoey and Stark's house. A matching pair.

_**Joi**_

Everyone showed up at Joi's house. She and Layla were both Cherokees. They had matching costumes, only Joi's braid had blue and black feathers whereas Layla's was braided with red and black. Her Uncle Damien had dressed Jacquelinne up as a pink bunny. It was adorable, her auburn curls peeking out from the hood.

Nohlin was almost two and he was a cowboy. It was the cutest thing. He had a little plastic gun and holster and cowboy boots and the hat and the outfit.

Cass and Kal were prince and princess. The four of them had always been close. They had pictures of the four of them playing when they were only a year old. They had shared birthday parties and sleepovers and Christmases together. But, like always, each set of twins had decided among themselves. Joi and Layla walked over to them.

"Hey, Jojo, Lay-lay!" Kal said. He hugged them both. Cass did the same.

"Hey, Cass, Kal. Sup?" Joi greeted them. They sat and laughed, letting the adults and the younger ones do their own thing.

"Kids, let's go," Uncle Darius called. The kids got up and joined the group, the four linking hands. Joi smiled and laughed, even at such a young age a social butterfly.

_**Kalleb**_

Kalleb felt at home. To his right was his sister, his closest companion and friend. To his left was Joi, his best friend besides Cassidy and her sister Layla who he was also extremely close to. They had been there as long as he could remember. They were kind of like adopted siblings. Everyone he was walking with was his adopted family. He would always be at home with them.

"Ehcuse me, Kayweb," a small voice squeaked behind him. Turning his head, he saw Nohlin. The small boy looked at him and Kalleb smiled.

"Yes, Nohlin?" Nohlin smiled.

"I wanna walk wif you." Kalleb nodded, and, breaking his hand from Cassidy's, grabbed the boy's. Nohlin's smile widened and Kalleb could hear the adults chuckling in the background. Kalleb rolled his eyes and stepped up the drive to the next house. He knocked on the door.

A man stepped to the porch, smiling with bowl of candy in hand. "Hey, kids." Then, his eyes scanned over them and stopped at the end of their line. At Layla. The man's eyes widened in shock.

"Z-Z-Zoey?" he managed to stutter, mouth hanging open like he'd seen a ghost. The adults walked up behind them and Zoey had the same dumbstruck look on her face.

"Kevin?" Zoey whispered. Kalleb looked at Joi. Recognition flashed in her eyes.

"That's mom's younger, human brother." Understanding quickly overtook Kalleb and he knew that Zoey and her brother had to handle this themselves.

"Yeah, Zo. It's me. I'm all grown up now. I think I might even look a bit older than you, sis," the man teased. Zoey suppressed a smile.

"Let me introduce you. This is my husband, Stark," Zoey began. Stark shook Kevin's hand. "This is my best friend and her husband and , Stevie Rae and Rephaim and their kids Cassidy and Kalleb. This is my friend Damien, his daughter Jacquelinne, Erin and Shaunee, and Aphrodite, her husband Darius, and their son Nohlin. This here is mine and Stark's adopted daughter Lillia, and her husband Alex. Those two there are my twins, Joi and Layla." Zoey finished in a rush, indicating each of them in turn. Kevin smiled and greeted them all. Time passed and they talked. But, the little ones got fussy and Kalleb, Cassidy, Joi, and Layla were bored. Kalleb watched the two adults exchange numbers and Kevin gave Zoey their sister's number as well.

"Nice seeing you," Zoey said. He returned the words with well wishes. They hugged and the group was finally on their way.

Eventually, they came home, bags loaded with the prophets of the night.

_**(The Next Day) Zoey (In Her Living Room) **_

"Another one?" I sighed. Kramisha nodded.

"It's about somebody and Kalona. Again." I sighed again.

"Let me see." The poem was disconcerting.

_She will be his. _

_He will be hers. _

_Resist him, she will _

_For the greater good_

_No matter the cost to her heart. _

_Love him, she will. _

_Protect her, he will. _

_Watching the war go by. _

_Wanting, but undecided where to start_

_The fight against each other. _

_The lovers will love each other still, _

_But act on it, they wont. _

_Their love was sweet, now turned tart. _

I looked at Kramisha, and broke. I pretended to be fine, but I wasn't. I died that day, inside. I put a wall up between me and other people. Everyone but my family. My circle, and my accoutrements. At school, I went from the class the students couldn't wait to get to, to the one they couldn't wait to get out of. At night, I wanted to cry but I wouldn't. I couldn't. Everything good inside me broke.

A day went by like this. Then a week. The week turned into a month and that into two. From two, it became twelve without my notice. Lillia had her baby. She named her Krista Lucille McKarther. Birthdays went by. Nohlin's, Jacquelinne's, both sets of twin's, Krista's. From twelve, they kept creeping on. And on. And on. And on. Finally, December came. Almost two years had passed. My kids were ten, Nohlin three, Jacquelinne and Krista two. Jacquelinne was actually two and a half. Joi came up to me and said something that woke me up.

"Mama, I need help. I really like a boy and I want to tell him. How do I?" I smiled, remembering the same conversation with Lillia years ago.

"Alright, baby, who is it?"

**I know you might want to kill me for taking up so much time, but, this is chapter ten and only three years have passed. There's still four more. So, chill. And, I like how I did it. It's kind of graceful instead of just saying, the next chapter takes place two years later. And, now the kids are finally at the age where I can start to turn them into what I need them to be. And, this was a very long chapter. It's actually 8 pages writing in Calibri font, size 11. Most of my chapters are about two or three. Anyways, I'm going to do a Christmas chapter soon, probably before it's actually Christmas. I apologize in advice to my readers who celebrate a different winter holiday. In other news, I was home sick on Monday and Tuesday. I went back to school yesterday, and had to be picked up because I felt so crappy. So, I'm home sick again today and tomorrow. Fun, huh. And, I really don't fake being sick this much. If someone in my house gets a cold, I get it five times worse. So, I'll go now. Yours Truly, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	12. Lied

**Hey there guys. You know, please don't stone me. I know but I can't seem to figure out what to do at this point. I decided to cut out the Christmas chapter. I'm sorry to those looking forward to it. Um, I'm totally winging this chapter so if it sucks I'll probably delete it and start over. But, when I'm winging it is sometimes when my best ideas come so, hold your breath, count to ten, wish really hard and hope you actually get to see this. Read On!**

Chapter 11: Lied

_**Joi**_

"I-I can't tell you," she said, really wishing she could. Her mother looked perplexed.

"Why not, honey?"

"Because there'd be no point in it."

"Then why'd you tell me?"

"I intended to tell you, but I can't. Goddess, I don't know."

"Just remember the rule," Zoey said. "No dating until you're fourteen." Joi nodded, running off. She didn't know what had happened. She only knew that if she told her mother the boy's name, something would happen. That if she told anyone, something would happen. Even Layla. The thought broke her heart. Layla was her sister, her twin, her closest companion. Layla knew everything about her. Except this… and her vision from a few years go.

Layla with Kalona. That was her vision, her secret. And she had a feeling that, for whatever reason, that vision's outcome would be very different if she shared the name of her first crush. So, she pasted on a smile and skipped to find Layla and Cass. She needed companionship. Who better than her sister and best friend?

She found Cassidy waiting for her in the driveway.

"What's up, Jojo?" she asked. Joi smiled at her.

"Hey, Cass. You seen Layla around?" Cassidy nodded.

"Last time I checked she was in the house with Kal." The two of them walked in companionable silence into the house. Cassidy filled her in on how Stevie Rae and Rephaim had wanted a night out and dropped the kids off here.

"Excellent timing," Joi said, just as they walked into her room. Layla was sitting there, talking quietly with Kalleb. Kalleb was making wild hand gestures, his blonde hair a mess, his wings folded neatly on his back. He had a lot of muscles for someone their age but not bulky ones. He was actually quite thin, more muscle than meat under his tan skin. Looking between him and Cassidy, you wouldn't assume they were siblings, let alone twins. Until you looked at their eyes. They were exactly the same color, the same chocolaty brown of their father's. You'd know they were related then.

When people looked at herself and Layla, only their bone structure gave it away. Even their attitudes were different. But, they stuck together. Twins. And, it broke her heart to keep any secret from any of them. But, she pushed away the feeling. Her and Cassidy retraced their steps out of the room, unnoticed; the devious glint they shared alight in their eyes.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Cassidy asked. Joi nodded delightedly.

"One," she whispered.

"Two," counted Cass.

"Three!" they said together, charging back into the room and jumping onto the bed. They all fell into a laughing heap of children.

_**Zoey**_

Stark walked in and greeted me with a kiss.

"Stevie Rae and Rephaim dropped the kids off."

"I know," I replied.

"What're you thinking?"

"My girls are growing up." Then I smiled. Stark seemed taken aback.

"You're smiling. Are you better?" I was taken aback now. Had I been really that out of it?

"I've smiled recently."

"Not one where you actually look happy, or amused, or…" he trailed off. "Not for two years you haven't smiled like that."

"Yes, Stark. I'm better now." I kissed him on the lips, and was, for the moment, genuinely at peace.

_**(10:00 PM)Layla(Layla's Dreams)**_

Jojo was asleep. Cass and Kal were home. Layla was asleep as well, but far from rested.

"Layla, I can't," Kalona was saying.

"And why not?" she asked, outraged.

"Because I'm not allowed near your house!" She could see in his face that she would win this fight. So she kept pushing.

"I've known you since I was seven and I've never met you!" she screamed.

"Because it's dangerous!" Layla believed his reasoning oblivious to the fact that, although this was partially true, it was not the only reason. Though Kalona had obviously come to care for Layla, that did not necessarily mean he would not turn on her in order to gain power. He preferred the way things were now though. She bared her teeth at him, grimacing. Who was he to decide what was safe for her? She could take care of herself. And she told him as much.

"I can take care of myself!"

"No you can't, Layla. You are a child."

"I can go to the tunnels, walk there. It's not far. You can meet me there and we'll go somewhere where we can talk."

"Layla…" He had run out of arguments, she could tell. She suppressed a grin. "Alright. Alright, you win. I'll come get you. I'll be there at one. I'm assuming so will you?" She nodded.

"I will."

"Then I will let you sleep. Goodnight, Layla." And with that Layla's dream dissolved and she slept in blackness.

That was how she came to be awake at twelve, tiptoeing down the hall past her parents' bedroom, dressed and ready to go. She slipped out the door, locking it back up with her house key. Then she began the trek to the tunnels. She had stretched the truth a bit. It wasn't a _long _walk, but certainly not short enough for a ten year old to walk at midnight. She had her cell phone in her pocket with Jojo's number pulled up. Just in case.

The streets were empty though. She saw no one. She walked slow and steady through the town, shocked at silence. Tulsa was never quiet. But, there weren't many lights and there was little noise. When the occasional car passed, she ducked her head and tried to make herself look bigger and older than she was. It must have worked, for no one stopped to look at her or speak to her, but instead continued to drive.

She arrived at the tunnels at about half past twelve. She sighed, thinking she should have left later. She sat down, pulled out her phone, and texted Cassidy, who was, of course, still awake.

_What's up? _texted Layla.

_Nm. I'm surprised ur still up. Wbu? _replied Cassidy. Layla bit her lip, contemplating what to tell her.

_Snuck out. :D _

_OMG, really? Wow, I'd expect that from Jo, not you. _

_*eye roll* Don't tell. I'll tell Jojo tomorrow. _

_You have no faith in me. I'm the bad one, remember? I stay up past my bedtime. _

_Ooooo… :D, _Layla said, giggling.

_So what'd u sneak out 4? _Layla stopped dead.

_Went out to meet a friend… _

_A bf? _She could picture Cass's face.

_NO! _

_Then what're you sneaking out for? _

_Mom nd Dad don't like him… _

_Ah, I see. Oh, dang G2G, Ma and Daddy are coming. Gotta act like I'm sleeping. Txt u rite bak. _Layla waited for Cassidy to return to the conversation. _Still there, Layla? _she said after a while.

_I'm here. _

_So is mystery person there yet? _

_No. Won't be here till 1. _

_Ooooooh… You got about fifteen minutes then. _

_Yeah, left too early. Thought the walk would be longer… _

_Haha sucker. _

_Shut it Cass. What's Kal doing? _

_He's sleeping. The loser… _

_So is Jo… _

_I figured. Or else she would know u were gone. _

_So, what're u doin? _

_In bed chillin out. Watching TV. _

_Sounds like more fun than what I'm doing. _

_I bet. Only about five more minutes though… _

_Sigh… _

_:D_

_:P, _Layla said, knowing what would happen next.

_:P your face, _Cassidy said, fulfilling Layla's expectations.

_:P your mom. _

_:P your dad. _

_:P your brother. _

_:P your sister. _

_:PP _

_:PPP_

_:PPPP _

_Okay, this is getting stupid,_ Cassidy said, ending it. Layla heard the beat of wings above.

_G2G, he's here. _

_;)_

_Shut up… _

Layla put her phone away, knowing that Cassidy would know not to text back. She looked at the time on her phone as she slipped it in her jacket pocket. It was exactly one. Who knew immortals had such great timing? Kalona stepped in front of her, wearing nothing more than faded blue jeans. His dark hair was tied back in a ponytail which was an entirely new look.

"Hello," she said. He was much more intimidating in person. He chuckled.

"Layla, you know me. No need to be at all like that," he said kindly.

"Like what?" He just laughed and shook his head. He stepped up, indicating for her to put her arms around his neck. She did and he put one arm under her knees and one under her shoulders. He jumped and she held on tighter. She was vaguely thankful that her phoned didn't fall out of her pocket. Then they were flying. She took one arm and put her phone in the more secure jeans pocket. Then she closed her eyes and fell asleep in the air.

_**Cassidy**_

Cassidy looked out a window that had been made especially for her room. That was why she saw a winged guy take off with Layla in her arms. It made sense now, their conversation on the phone. Why her parents didn't like her "friend". Why she had to sneak out and why she didn't tell Cassidy who he was. One word rang in her mind and made her want to throw up.

"Kalona," she whispered aloud.

**So, I'll cut it off there. I know, I'm evil. But, cliffhangers ensure you'll keep interested. So, Cassidy knows. Who will she tell? Haha, tell me what you think will happen next. I like to hear your theories. I think it's time for a shout out to inquiete, without whom I would still be stuck in massive writer's block. So, I'll post this tomorrow. Off to bed, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	13. Confronted

**Hey, guys. What's up? Sorry I took so long. I was actually going to update like three days after I posted HMBH, but, my computer got a virus and I just got it back day before yesterday. I'm home sick today so, yeah. Anyways, we get to find out what happens- what Cassidy does. Also, Kalona and Layla too. Not really much else to say on this chapter. Read On! **

Chapter 12: Confronted

_**Kalona**_

"Layla," he whispered and rocked her gently. Her eyes opened. He could see her try to remember where she was, what was happening. She laughed quietly.

"What's so funny?"

"It's weird. Usually, I have to fall asleep to see you. Now I have to wake up." He smiled at her. They were on a balcony at the Gilcrease museum. He had sat down and waited for her to do the same.

"What is it you wanted to see me for?" She shrugged. Her face lost all traces of amusement.

"Kalona, do you actually care about me? Or are you using me?" Kalona was stunned into silence. He could lie, and say he did. Or, he could be honest and say both. Except, a lie would likely get him thrown from her presence. He answered carefully.

"I do care, Layla. In all honesty, if I didn't I likely wouldn't be able to talk to you if that was a lie. However, it is in my personality to know that though I would do my best to protect you from harm, I make no promises. I do care, Layla. Never doubt that." She nodded, and he could see she was trying to process the answer.

"I understand. It won't be like that forever." She spoke with a certainty that shocked him. She changed the subject abruptly. "Do you ever miss Uncle Rephaim?" Again, he was shocked. This girl astonished him on so many occasions.

"I do. What am I to do though? He is, apparently, happy." She nodded. She yawned. She leaned against his arm and he brushed his fingers through her hair. "Why do you talk to me? Your mother once jumped off a castle turret in a dream to escape me. She has no doubt told you of me." She smiled.

"Because I think you're different now. Or maybe you're the same as always but you're just letting it show. I don't know." He laughed.

"How old do I look to you?" She shrugged.

"High school age." She yawned again and he hummed under his breath. She curled up and fell asleep against him. He looked at her. His Layla. He didn't know what to think, what to _feel _anymore. Kalona didn't know what would come of this. He looked at the sleeping little girl and suddenly knew- he would not know what would happen until it did. Nyx did, he was sure. Nyx had planned it. He shook his head. He woke Layla.

"We're leaving. I'm taking you home." She shot bolt upright.

"What?" she shouted. "No!" He shook his head.

"You make no sense. You were sleeping anyways." She shook her head.

"Ever think maybe I just wanted to spend time with you?" He looked at her.

"You see me almost everyday!" She shook her head again.

"Not really." He picked her up and she grabbed on instinctively. "NO!"

"You don't have a choice," he replied calmly. She growled but curled up against him. She didn't talk. He left her outside her house. "I know you're mad at me. I won't come in your dreams again until you call me." He kissed her atop her head and then flew away. "Goodbye."

_**(Tomorrow Afternoon) Cassidy**_

"Hey, Lay, come over, okay?" Layla agreed and said Joi would come with. "Perfect." She hung up and filled in Kal that they were coming.

"Joi's coming?" Cassidy rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Romeo. We have things to discuss. The four of us." Kalleb looked at her.

"Why?" She paused, then grinned.

"You'll find out." Kalleb rolled his eyes but went to make sure he looked good.

A while later, Joi and Layla drove up with Stark and Zoey. Zoey led them through the tunnels. Stark waited in the car. Cassidy watched as Zoey kissed them all goodbye and walked away.

"So, what's up Cass?" Cassidy looked at her.

"Soundproof the room."

"What?"

"Soundproof the room. Use the air to block the sound coming from the room." Layla shrugged and mumbled under her breath. The air moved and then Cassidy looked at Layla.

"Where were you last night?" Layla froze.

"What? I-I told you. I was texting you last night."

"I saw you."

_**Layla**_

"I saw you," Cassidy said. Layla's heart froze. The words rang in her head, bouncing around- screaming at her. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, she wanted to laugh in relief that _someone _knew. But she stayed silent.

"Cass, what's going on?" Kal asked. Layla could see the confusion on his face. Cassidy hadn't told him.

"Ask Layla." All eyes turned to her and she sighed. A tear streaked down her face and she shook her head. Cassidy's temper flared and the room got hot.

"Fine. Won't tell them? I will." Cassidy launched into the events of last night. She summarized their conversation and then explained what she had seen looking out the window. "I saw Kalona take off with Layla."

"Did her kidnap her?" Joi asked. This would be the moment. If Layla wanted to cover up she could. Cassidy paused, not having thought of this chance. All eyes once more turned to Layla. She tried to figure out what to say. She had almost decided to tell- she couldn't lie anymore- when her decision was confirmed. _It's time_, the Goddess whispered in her mind.

"No. I was waiting for him." Joi's eyes flared with anger and shock at the deceit. They quickly cooled. Cassidy was stunned into silence. Kalleb looked caught somewhere between denial, confusion, and anger.

"I know," Joi said. All eyes then turned to Joi. "I had a vision a long time ago. I saw Layla kissing Kalona." Kalleb now looked angry. Layla was hurt that it had been kept from her. Cassidy just looked tired. "I'm sorry I kept it from you."

"What will we do?" Kal asked.

"Nothing," Layla said, eyes livid. "You will do nothing. He is my problem. Not my problem- my _friend. _I have talked to him since I was seven. You can't stop me so don't try."

"We know," the other three said in unison. Layla raised her eyebrows.

"We trust you. We may not trust him but we know you," Joi said.

"So one thing we all agree on?" Layla asked.

"Don't. Tell. The. Parents." They all laughed and Layla removed the soundproofing from the door. Rephaim walked in.

"What's going on in here? It's been really quiet." They all looked at each other.

"Well, Kalleb is a loser and fell asleep. Layla was reading and me and Jo were playing on the computer," Cassidy answered calmly. Rephaim looked between them, nodded, and walked out.

"This'll be harder than I thought…" said Cass. They all nodded in agreement.

"We'll make it though." They all nodded. Kalleb's eyes were fiery- a rare occurrence.

"One more thing. No more secrets, alright? I mean, we're all in this together." They all looked at each other and nodded seriously. Then, Jojo decided to start singing "We're All In This Together" from High School Musical and they all joined in.

"Who watches High School Musical anymore?" Cassidy asked. The other three all raised their hands and Cassidy slowly raised hers too.

"Wasn't that kind of pointless, Cass?" Kal asked.

"Yup." Kalleb hit his forehead and sighed.

"Facepalm!" Joi yelled.

"Really, Jojo?" Kalleb asked.

"Yup."

_**(That Night, Layla's Dreams) **_

"They know," Layla told him simply.

"Zoey?" Layla shook her head.

"No. Kal and Cass and Jojo." Kalona sighed in relief.

"Who will they tell?"

"No one. They know how important it is. Joi has visions. She's seen it." Kalona remained silent. "It'll be fine." He sighed again, this time in defeat.

"I trust you." She hugged him and he pressed his face into her hair. They stood like that for a few moments. "We knew it was bound to happen." Layla nodded.

"We can make it through this." She yawned and he told her to sleep. She nodded and he flew away. Her dream drifted into blackness.

**Well, that's all folks. I think Cassidy handled that appropriately, what do you think? Okay, who loves One Direction? I do! Who shares my obsession? I love Zayn! And Harry!… And Niall… And Liam… And Louis… :D I'm a loser. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed. I'll be anxiously awaiting your reviews. Loving 1D, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	14. Phoned

**Hey guys! OMG, I'm so so so so so so so so so so so sorry for not updating. My computer's been acting up and I just can't seem to find the time anymore. Just to reassure you, I have NOT and never will give up on this story. Anyways, I've got no idea what to write this chapter. All I know is I have to do something with Neferet, seeing as we haven't seen her around since sometime during **_**Destined. **_**So, without further ado, I apologize once more and then begin to write and hope it doesn't come out crap. Read On! **

Chapter 13: Phoned

_**Kalona**_

"Kalona," Neferet called, seductively. The name- his name- was like a purr on her lips. The sound sickened him. "Kalona," she called again, almost singing it.

"Yes, my Queen?" he said, careful not to let his true emotions slip into his voice. She came up to his side and wrapped her arms around him possessively.

"Where were you two nights ago, when you should've been here with me?" she asked, keeping her voice sweet. But, there was an accusatory undertone that made it sound like she didn't need to ask.

"I simply became tired of being in the same place, so I went for a flight over Tulsa and the woods." Kalona kept his voice calm and controlled, making sure he was believable. Neferet made a sound like a purr, and he saw a glint in her emerald eyes.

"So you weren't with anyone?" she asked, batting her eyes and sounding innocent.

"Of course not. Who would I rather be with than you, my love?" She laughed haughtily.

"No one, of course." Then she stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him. He turned his brain off and kissed her back.

_Of course, _he thought bitterly before he stopped thinking, _I'd rather be anywhere than here. _

_**(The Next Day) Neferet **_

Neferet surveyed her class. Half were blue fledglings, and- she noted with a smile- half were red. It wasn't even weird for the normal students anymore. It was almost natural.

"Today, class, we will study rejecting the Change. It's causes and the signs, and what it means exactly." Half the class- the blue fledglings- looked wary. The other half had already experienced it and simply looked bored. "Well then, turn in the Fledgling Handbook 101..."

_**Joi**_

Joi laid on the couch staring at the ceiling. She was bored and there was really only one person she wanted to talk to- besides Layla. But, that was nothing new. All she ever wanted was to talk to him, for him to notice her as more than a friend he'd known forever. She sighed and picked up her cell phone. She dialed his number, deleted all the numbers. She did this repeated before just throwing her phone, which, unfortunately, landed in the fish tank. She cursed out loud before mentally being grateful neither of her parents were around.

She grabbed the phone out of the water, and it wouldn't turn on.

"No, no, no, no…" she muttered. Then she had a brilliant idea. "Water, please if you would, just leave my phone. Dry it completely. Please?" Like she knew it would, the water dripping from her phone increased until soon she was left with a dry phone. "Thank Goddess!" she said. She turned her phone on. After a moment it rang. The screen read "Kalleb" and there was a picture of him holding up the peace sign and a goofy grin on his face. She smiled and answered the phone.

_**Kalleb**_

Kalleb looked at his cell phone. He glared at it. He hated it for the challenge it proposed. Cassidy saw him glaring and laughed at him.

"Just call her already!" she laughed. He glared at her.

"I've got no idea what you mean."

"Sure you don't, Romeo. Juliet awaits." He dialed the number- and stared at it. He closed out the dial pad and instead went to his contacts and tapped her name on his iPhone. A picture came up of her in her bikini with her arms crossed and sandy colored hair dripping and brown eyes narrowed at having her picture taken. Regardless, there was a smirk on face. Cassidy came over and hit the call button.

"Cassidy!" Cassidy grinned.

"You're welcome!" Nothing else to do, Kalleb held the phone to his ear and prayed she'd pick up. When she did, he breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Hey, Kal," she said.

"Hey Jojo."

_**Cassidy**_

With nothing better to do now that she had helped her brother, she took out her iPhone and called Layla.

"Hey, Cass," Layla said.

"Hey. I suppose Juliet is overjoyed?"

"Huh?" Cassidy sighed.

"Joi?"

"Yeah she looks kind of happy. Why?"

"Kalleb called her."

"And?" Cassidy shook her head.

"I shake my head at you. You're as bad as the parents. Don't you notice anything?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean-" Cassidy cut off and looked around for parents. They all knew (except for clueless Layla) as well as Joi did that the parents couldn't know just yet. They didn't know how, they just did. She didn't see them but lowered her voice just in case. "I mean that Joi likes Kalleb and Kal like Jo."

"Okay then. I suppose they do kind of act different with each other and, I don't know. I probably should've realized this sooner."

"You've probably been too worried about the whole Kalona situation." An awkward silence fell. They never really discussed him. Then Kalleb laughed loudly and Cass heard Joi do the same over at Layla's house.

"Be quiet, I'm on the phone!" Layla and Cassidy both shouted. Then they sighed.

"Brothers," Cassidy said.

"Sisters," Layla said.

"Sisters," Kalleb and Joi said at the same time. All four of them laughed. Seeing as the conversations had pretty much joined at that point, Cassidy and Layla hung up and had Joi and Kalleb put their phones on speaker and all four of them talked. Cass felt kind of bad for interrupting Kal and Jo's time- but not bad enough not to do it.

"So what've you been up to, Jo?" Cassidy asked.

"Nothing much. Mom and Dad have to work so me and Layla have been home by ourselves a lot."

"Yeah, us too." Then they just talked until Kalleb's phone died. Then Cassidy punched him.

"What was that for?"

"Not charging it." Then Cassidy went to go read a book since she had nothing better to do until her parents got home.

**So, not too long but not as short as some of my recent updates have been. I really am sorry. I'm going to try updating at least once a week from now on, but I'm also visiting my dad right now who lives ten hours away and he's getting married soon. So, if I can't update once a week, I will as much as I can. Very apologetic, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	15. Kissed

**Hello! So, this is the last A/N I'm making about this so LISTEN! I'm making major updates like this one, **_**The Vampyre's Daughter**_**, and **_**Heal My Broken Heart**_** every weekend. Other than that, one-shots and minor stories will be updated as time permits throughout the week. So, today I think some readers will be happy. Other than that bit I'm tossing in as a surprise at the end, I'm going to wing it this chapter. Who knows who will show up or what will happen? Read On! **

Chapter 14: Kissed

_**Kalona**_

Once Layla fell asleep Kalona was pulled into her dreams. She smiled at him, eyes shining.

"Tomorrow's my birthday," she said. He smiled as he hugged her.

"Happy birthday. So you're going to be eleven?" She nodded, laughing. Kalona counted in his head. "Has it really been four years already?" She had been seven when they had first talked.

"Yeah," she whispers. Then she beams at him again. "Only five more years until I get Marked," she said excitedly, reaching up instinctively to touch the small black star that the Goddess had marked her with. He shrugged.

"You're already more Nyx's daughter than many fledglings or vampyres are. Don't rush your life- yours will last a long time, best to live it for the moment." Layla snorted.

"You should know." He chuckled.

"Yes, I should." She cocked her head to the right.

"How old are you?" He laughed.

"I lost track." She laughed at him, too.

"As old as Nyx?" He shook his head.

"I'm a little younger than that." She nodded. She looked at him, questioningly, but apparently decided against speaking. She looked at him.

"Momma's gonna wake me up soon," she said. "It's almost eight." Kalona nodded.

"I as well must be leaving soon. I feel my sons calling." She made an odd face at that.

"Do you ever miss Uncle Rephaim?" she asked almost inaudibly. He sighed.

"Quite a bit." Then there was a crash in the waking world, jolting him into his body.

Once awake, Kalona searched his surroundings for the source of the sound. Neferet stood next to a shattered mirror.

"What is wrong my Queen?" he asked.

"One of my fledglings has changed. He's gone to Tulsa to join Stevie Rae." She shouted in rage. Kalona attempted to calm her.

"What is one fledgling?" She rounded on him.

"One fledgling is everything! What if that one fledgling manages to bring more with him? Enough to begin a revolution? What if this one fledgling is my downfall?" she screamed at him. He kissed her, mostly so she couldn't talk. She fell into it, and he shut his mind off. She was done shouting and that was he wanted.

_**Layla **_

The rest of Layla's sleep was restless, full of tossing and turning. Joi woke her about an hour after Kalona left.

"Wake up!" Joi yelled, jumping on her. "Happy birthday!" Layla giggled as she woke up.

"Happy birthday," she laughed and pushed her sister off of her. Joi pulled her arms until she sat up.

"Come on! Mom's making breakfast and then we're going to the tunnels to celebrate. Come on, come on!" Layla laughed and sat up. She pulled on blue skinny jeans and a purple tank top. Joi was dressed in a white t-shirt with black skinny jeans. Her sandy hair was in a pony tail.

In the kitchen, their mom had made pancakes, which they both ate like they hadn't seen food in ten years. Then Layla straightened her hair, which she had left alone to grow to hip-length. Joi had hers cut to about an inch or two under her shoulder blades. Then they all piled into Zoey's Bug and headed to the tunnels. Lillia, Alex, and Krista would be there. She was three now. Aphrodite, Darius, Nohlin- now four-, Damien, Jacquelinne- three and a half-, Shaunee, Erin, Stevie Rae, Rephaim, Cassidy, and Kalleb would all be there. Layla and Joi grinned at each other. They hadn't all been together like that in a long time.

_**Joi**_

As soon as they got there, Krista ran out screaming, "Aunt Joi! Aunt Layla!" She jumped on Joi, hugging her tight.

"Hi baby girl," she said before passing her to Layla. Then her family walked down underground where she knew everyone was waiting. She grinned. As they walked in, there was a lot of screaming.

"My baby sisters!" Lillia yelled. "They're getting so big!" Alex chuckled. Everyone else shouted stuff to them, "Happy birthday," "You've grown," "I missed you!" There were a lot. Then someone grabbed her hand and she looked up- straight into the most gorgeous brown eyes she's ever seen.

"Happy birthday, Joi," Kalleb whispered. Then he dropped her hand and walked back into the sea of people.

"Happy birthday," she whispered a second too late. Then Joi shook her head to regain her wits and rejoined the people. She laughed and talked to her family, but really all she thought about was the look in Kalleb's eyes before he walked away.

_**Cassidy**_

"Kal!" she shouted. "Kalleb!" There was still no answer. "Kalleb Anthony!" Where had he gone? She had seen him only a minute ago.

"I'm right her, Cass. I went to wish the girls a happy birthday." She snorted.

"Anyway, Mom and Aunt Zoey want pictures of the four of us." So he went to find Layla and Cassidy went to get Joi. Then they had to pose for what seemed like a thousand pictures. Then Aphrodite, bless her soul, grabbed Stevie Rae and Zoey.

"It's time for gifts," she tried to whisper, but failed due to the excitement in her voice; Cassidy's mom and the woman who was like her aunt laughed and nodded.

"Come on, kids," Zoey yelled and everyone sat down.

Cassidy barely paid attention to who gave her what. She remembered Aphrodite got her a designer purse and pair of flip flops. Her parents got her a book of poetry- Cassidy loved poetry. Kalleb just gave her fifteen dollars and told her to do whatever she wanted with it. She got a lot of other gifts too, but there were so many she lost track. When everything was said and done she had quite a large pile of things next to her.

"Thanks everyone!" she said, grinning. Everyone went to do whatever around the party and Cassidy went to hang out with Layla, because Kalleb and Joi had disappeared.

_**Joi**_

When presents were done, Kalleb grabbed her hand again and pulled gently. She followed him without hesitation above ground.

"I have another birthday present for you," he said shyly. She smiled at him.

"Well what is it?" Before she even had time to blink his lips were on hers. He was kissing her. Kalleb Anthony Johnson was kissing her. Not only that, but Joi was kissing him back. She had pictured this so many times in the past year or so and it actually happened. When they broke away, he grinned at her shyly.

"Happy birthday," he said. She grinned back at him.

"Happy birthday to you, too," she said back to him, thinking_,_ _My first kiss is the boy I've known since the day I was born._

**So that concludes this fourteenth chapter of **_**Foreseen. **_**I hope you enjoyed. That last paragraph or so can be taken as a gift because this story has officially beaten its predecessor **_**Destined **_**in reviews, while also having fewer chapters. So I thank all of you for that. I have to go to bed so I'll go ahead and upload this while I still have time to edit. Grateful, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	16. Foreseen

**Hey guys! I'm updating again because I'm not allowed to anything. I was even excluded from chores today. I have tendonitis in my right thumb and pretty much anything I do with it is painful, so I can't do too much. So while everyone else has stuff to do, I'm updating. I like the no chores part but it really sucks not being able to much. Oh well, I know you guys don't really care what I say in the A/Ns anyways. I got a lot of reviews saying that they were too young to have cell phones, but, guys, I got my first cell phone at that age too. I got reviews telling me that they're too young to be kissing, which I can understand, but I stand by that decision. I also got a review saying that I needed more Kalona and Layla time, but you guys have to understand that there is more going on than just them, and that Joi, Cassidy, and Kalleb are all important too. Sorry this is so long guys. Read On! **

Chapter 15: Foreseen

_**Kalleb**_

He had kissed Joi. Joi, who just about the prettiest, coolest, most amazing girl he'd ever met-and he'd kissed her. He laid in his bed thinking this, wondering if he was brave or insane, when Cassidy knocked on the wall beside the blanket that served as his door in the tunnels. He yelled for her to come in. She came and sat on his bed.

"You kissed Joi," she said, emotionless as an ice cube but her eyes, as always, were burning with fire. He didn't try to deny it. He simply nodded and kept his face schooled. She smacked him. "Since when do you break the rules? Both of you could get in big trouble!" He sighed, rubbing his face.

"It's not like we're dating. It was one little kiss. How do you even know?"

"Joi mentioned it on accident." He shrugged.

"I don't regret it." She shook her head.

"I didn't think you would. Just don't do it again, okay? At least not for a couple more years." Kalleb nodded and Cassidy left him there, dumbstruck.

_**Joi**_

_It's dark, but only for a moment. Then there's flash and it's bright, too bright. Joi tries to shield her eyes but she can't, she has no arms. She is only there to watch so she can only see. When the light fades and the afterimages fade, she looks around. There is fire, fire everywhere. People are screaming and she wants to help, to use water but she can't speak. There has been an explosion, and everything is burning, and everyone is screaming- except for one. _

_Standing beside Joi is a woman. She has emerald green eyes and wild auburn hair. She's laughing and Joi knows who she is- Neferet. Joi ignores her and tries to figure out what's going on. There's a building, and that's what is on fire. They are on somewhere beautiful, she can't identify it right away. Italy, maybe? She tries to remember about vampyres in Italy. _

Venice_, she thinks. Neferet is burning the High Council's governing building. This would destroy vampyre society. And she's doing it because… She tries to get into Neferet's head. She breathes and focuses on her. She sees what happened just before. She had been shunned by the High Council. Someone had found proof of… She couldn't get exactly what. But they had brought their proof to the High Council, so they had shunned her and she in turn had burned them, planning a takeover. A shadow passes overhead and, without her permission, her vision shifts overhead and in a surreal moment she sees herself being carried by Kalona. The air around them dries as she uses the water in it and a rain cloud forms just over the fire and rains it out. Neferet cries out in wordless anger, until the adult Joi pulls out a dead Duantia and Thanatos. The High Council is broken and Neferet is left a step closer to victory. _

Joi woke screaming. "No!" she shouted, tears streaming down her face. Layla was there first.

"Tell me," she said, recognizing the signs of a vision. Joi shook her head, but she realized Layla was the only one she could tell. She had been working with Kalona, not just Layla, but her. So she recounted the vision, how Neferet had won in the end despite her and Kalona's best attempts. Layla was dumbstruck, although she was somewhat glad her sister had willingly worked with Kalona. Their parents walked in and tried to calm Joi, and Joi recounted it again, leaving out Kalona. Her parents calmed her, and everyone returned to bed, but Joi watched the sunset, scared of what might next come to her in dreams.

_**Layla**_

Layla called Kalona in her dreams. She didn't know why but she needed him. As she went back to sleep she envisioned him, waiting for sleep to bring him to her.

When she saw him, she ran to him and cried. He held her out of instinct.

"What happened?" he asked. She told him all about Joi's vision, including the part where he was there. He seemed shocked, and he just stood while he recounted the tale. "So you prevent it," he said when she was done.

"What if I can't? Would you help me?" He almost chuckled.

"I would help anyone trying to get rid of Neferet." She backed away from him.

"But would you do it for me?" He tried to answer her honestly.

"I don't know, Layla, but I think it's likely I would." She managed a small smile and he hugged her to him again. "Now, sleep, Layla." She tried to protest. "I mean actually sleep, without me here." Layla sighed and nodded. He drifted away and so did the dream and she slept in blackness the rest of the day/night through.

_**Cassidy**_

Cassidy tried not to worry about her brother and Joi. Kalleb wouldn't break the rules and actually date her. She didn't understand why she worried so. She just knew the kiss had been a mistake. It never should have happened, not yet anyways. She knew that if anyone else found out something bad would happen, and she couldn't let it. She tried to breathe and let it go, but she ended up texting Joi until the sun rose and she finally succumbed to her own exhaustion.

_**Kramisha**_

Kramisha looked at the poem she had written almost in a daze. She had to read it again just to remember what she wrote.

_Fire if wielded by evil_

_Can burn down the walls. _

_If she shall turn against us, _

_The High Council shall fall. _

_Follow her heart_

_But think with her mind _

_And her true love's soul_

_She will again find. _

Kramisha knew who the poem meant, and she knew no one would like it. But like it or not, it was saying that Cassidy could turn to Neferet, and be the downfall of the High Council and Neferet's champion.

**So how was that twist? You all enjoy this and have fun contemplating. Tell me theories, tell me if you have a complaint. I'll try to cover it as best I can and, as for theories, I just like to hear them. Oh, and guys, as for those of you who reviewed saying it was weird since Kalleb and Joi are practically cousins, they're really not. I'll try to cover this at some point in the story, but although they were raised to see each other's parents as an aunt and uncle, they were not raised as cousins. They've never really seen each other that way. Getting ready for a Halloween Party, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	17. Discussed

**Hey again! Two updates in one day? I know, right? But I've gotten some inspiration since I'm rereading **_**Awakened **_**for, like, the fourth time. So, yeah. And… I still have three years to cover before I move onto **_**Gifted. **_**So, I figured why not? So, without further ado, I shall now write. Read On!**

Chapter 16: Discussed

_**Stevie Rae**_

"It's simply not possible," Stevie Rae said to Kramisha, almost-glaring at her. Kramisha almost-glared right back.

"I'm not saying she definitely switches sides. I'm saying that sometime in the future Cassidy is going to fall in love with somebody. That somebody is going to die. At that point, it's all on Cassidy."

"Should we tell her?" I asked.

"No," Rephaim said quietly. "Never tell her. She's going to know, falling in love, that whoever she loves is destined to die. If she knew that, she wouldn't allow herself to love at all. It would make her cold and she would change sides anyway." Stevie Rae held his hand. She knew he was right but this was her daughter. This was a baby she had raised for eleven years. Thinking that her baby girl could possibly be their doom killed her in a way nothing else could.

"What do we do?"

"We love her. We show her Light, and kindness, and Nyx. We teach her that death is not always the end."

_**Layla**_

"I wonder what they're talking about," Cassidy said, glancing at the shut door and the vague whispered voices behind it. "Maybe we should eavesdrop."

"No," Joi said, too fast. We all cocked a head at her. "Something bad will happen if we do. I feel it in my gut." Kalleb glanced at her, blushed, and glanced back down. Layla rolled her eyes. If she had to put up with this for the next three years, she would scream.

"Kalona," Kalleb said. He said it a topic for discussion, one they had all been avoiding.

"We need you to spy, Layla. Get him to tell you what Neferet is up to."

"I will not spy. I'll ask him, but what do we need to know? She's building an army. So are we." The other three glanced at each other and she felt a rush of anger as she realized this was something they had discussed without her.

"Where will he stand?" Cassidy asked quietly. All of the anger left Layla's body as they asked a question she didn't know the answer to, a question she didn't even think Kalona knew the answer to.

"I don't know." Kalleb opened his mouth to say something when the adults entered the room. Nothing in their faces gave away what had been discussed. The kids looked down, guilt on every face but Layla's. She had nothing to feel bad for.

_**Zoey**_

I glanced at the kids to see that they were alright, that they hadn't been listening when there was a knock at the door. We were at the school, in the council chamber. I went to open it and found a vampyre there. He wasn't anyone I knew. He had dark, curly hair and even darker eyes. His skin was olive toned and he had a very angular but handsome face. He had a red tattoo of what looked like triangles of his face.

"My name is Jonathan. I come from the West Virginia House of Night. Neferet raised me from the dead. I- I left to join you." He fisted his hand over his heart and bowed to me. "I wish to enter your army and fight against her." I was taken aback, as I knew all behind me would be.

"How did you stay humane?" I asked. He looked me dead in the eye and I could see flecks of amber in his black eyes.

"There was a girl I loved. Neferet tried to Change her too but… For some reason the formula did not work on her. I blamed Neferet and I held onto that, and to my love for Christine. I was the first to Change in my group. Neferet was ecstatic until she learned that I had up and left the next morning." He smiled sheepishly.

"How old are you, Jonathan?"

"Sixteen."

"You do realize you will still have to attend classes, right?"

"Yes, ma'am." I smiled at him. "Before you take me in you might want to know one thing."

"Yes?"

"Um, I have a bit of an affinity for numbers. It's been proven that my brain is better than most calculators." I grinned.

"Welcome to the team," Stark said, coming up beside me and offering his hand. Jonathan shook it and he looked behind us to see everyone.

"Oh!" I said. "Let me introduce everyone." So I introduced Aphrodite and Darius, I introduced Damien and Jacqueline (who rested on his hip but had been playing with Nohlin and Krista who she introduced as well), I introduced Kal and Cass and Jo and Layla, I introduced Stevie Rae and Rephaim, I introduced Lillia and Alex. Jonathan rubbed his temples.

"That's a lot of people." I laughed.

"Well, now you're one of us, too." I looked at my group- my circle and accoutrements as we had said long ago. Some looked suspicious of the new boy. Most, though, looked relieved. It looked like maybe we could get Cassidy back if he had left willingly.

_**(That Night/Morning) Layla (Dreams)**_

"Kalona!" Layla called, feeling him there but not seeing him. He stepped out of the shadows. They were by the East wall. She simply looked at him. He was wearing only jeans, his muscles extremely obvious. He would look imposing had he not been smiling so warmly at her.

"Hello, Layla." She wanted this to be every other time they had met like this, just hanging out. If she was totally honest, she even had an eleven-year-old type crush on him. But, it wasn't. She sighed and her heart sunk as she saw his face grow serious. He sat beside her on the ground.

"They want me to talk to you." He nodded, immediately catching her meaning.

"Neferet." Layla nodded solemnly.

"They wanted me to ask you if you knew anything we didn't about Neferet's plans." Kalona looked at the sky.

"It's an incredibly simple plan, based on brute force and very little intellectual planning behind it. But, if she knew about this, it would not end well. She would use it any way she could. Neferet understands only power. I do know that she acted as if the leaving of one vampyre would ruin her plans utterly so I think she has her ranks planned out very carefully. The vampyre who left was very skilled in mathematics and she had planned him to choose the most logical solution."

"Was his name Jonathan?" Layla asked.

"Yes."

"He joined us." Kalona nodded. Layla wanted to ask him about the other thing, about his side in the end. But, she was _afraid_. She was terrified he would say power was more important to him after all. So she stayed silent. Eventually, Kalona's grin returned. "What?"

"I brought you something."

"What? Why?"

"Don't you remember? It's been exactly four years since the first time you saw me here." She smiled.

"Well, what is it?"

"A necklace." He pulled it out. It was very simple. It was a plain brown leather strap, but there was an ink black feather strung on it. She placed it around her neck and it rested perfectly on her collarbone. "It will stay with you when you wake. If you ever need me, just hold it and call me as though you were going to sleep and I will come if at all possible." She hugged him and, before she could even say thank you, the dream was shattered as she was awoken by a scream.

**Alright, that's it! Two in one day! Whoo, I'm awesome. I really like this chapter. But, it's not about me, it's about you guys so let me know! Alright thanks guys! Love you! About to go to bed, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	18. Envisioned

**Hey, here again! In case you haven't read the new chapter of or don't read my story **_**Heal My Broken Heart **_**(which is totally okay!) I'll inform you- my goal is to update once a day this week as I am currently testing and henceforth have no homework (yay!) and I have inspiration as I have recently reread **_**Awakened**_**, **_**Destined**_**, and **_**Hidden**_**. Maybe I'll go back and read the rest of them, too. I don't know, we'll see. I had to totally reread **_**Hidden **_**because I didn't remember any of it haha. I think I got it now. Whatever this got really long- you all know how I love ranting :D. Anyways, I guess I'll meet you guys. Read On! **

Chapter 17: Envisioned

_**Joi**_

_It's terrible. Blood, death, destruction, even Darkness. Joi falls to her knees. She has a body in this vision, but no one seems to see her. Cassidy lay bleeding at her feet. As Joi looks into her eyes she is sucked into her body, viewing the battle through Cassidy's eyes. _

"_I'm sorry," Cassidy whispers through cold lips to the empty air. "I love you." Joi feels the life leave her best friend's body and shouts at her, mentally, to wake up, to live, that it would be alright. Finally realizing there was no hope, Joi wills herself back into her own body, which is somehow at the forefront of the battle. _

"_It's now or never," her mouth says to the figure before her- Kalona. "Make your choice." Kalona stands still, shocked and she can almost see the gears turning in his mind. Cassidy was dead- all his fault- and she saw the defeat in his eyes. "Fine!" Joi roars. "We don't need you!" She hears the lie in her own voice but turns away anyway. She lifts her bow and lets an arrow fly, not bothering to look as it impales one of Neferet's fledglings. She turns to see Layla walk away from Kalona, tears in her eyes, when she feels a pain through her chest. She turns to see a red vampyre, a man of about twenty with an electrified spear coated in her blood. _

"_You can't die yet," he snarls. "You need to live to tell your mother and that slut Stevie Rae who did this. Tell them it was Dallas." She screams in pain and screams and screams but the electricity that was in the spear keeps her heart pumping… for now… _

Joi woke screaming. She screamed and kept screaming. She had felt and seen people die in visions before, but she had never felt herself die. She curled into a ball and sobbed while screaming. "Goddess, help me," she cried. "Please." She heard Joi wake up but couldn't stop crying.

"Joi," Layla said. Her hair was flying as if blown by wind as it did when she was distressed. "Joi, it's okay." Joi clung to her sister as her mother and father entered, exchanging a glance with each other. When she finally stopped crying she told them about her vision, everything but Kalona. They kissed her forehead and told her to sleep, that they'd talk more when they awoke, her mother blanched white. When they left Joi looked at her sister.

"Kalona was in it," she said simply. She recounted the vision fully. "You need to try harder, sway him more. We need him. If you don't get him to make the right choice, I die, Cass dies, and Neferet wins." Layla buried her head in her hands.

"What do I do?" she said hopelessly. Joi looked her sister dead in the face.

"Do you like him?" Layla started.

"What? What does that have to-" Joi cut her off.

"Everything. If you don't want to tell me, fine. I just felt myself die, and I understand only this. You will learn to love him, and he will grow to love you. If you don't act on that, never use it to win him over, _he will never switch sides_." Her voice dropped low and rhythmic. "Kramisha writes poems and they all indicate he switches for you. If you don't use that we have nothing." Joi blinked, as though confused about what just happened and rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Layla said. "I get it." Layla hugged her sister who buried her head in the crook of her shoulder.

"I'm scared," she whispered. Joi felt the shocked jolt run through Layla's body. She understood why. Joi was the strong one, the brave one whereas Layla was the meek and timid one, extremely shy. Joi felt like laughing for a crazy second. But no.

"It's okay," Layla whispered. "It's okay." Joi sighed.

"Go to bed, Lay. We can talk about this with the others in the morning." She saw Layla hesitate only a second before leaning down and whispering in her ear, "Yes."

_**(A few hours later) Cassidy (The Mall) **_

"Why are we at the mall?" Cassidy asked on a sigh. Kalleb grinned.

"We're being inconspicuous by being conspicuous." Layla and Joi walked up then, Joi looking very tired and pale and, well, just all around quite sickly. Kalleb jumped up. "Jo, are-" Joi held up a hand.

"No, I'm not okay. I'm exhausted and I got to feel what it's like to die. Slowly. By electric spear through my chest. With my mother screaming my name." Cassidy blinked. Then, sounding like only Cassidy could, flippant and worried at the same time.

"Do tell." So Joi recounted the vision, Layla's hand on her shoulder. She then told of her and Layla's conversation afterwards. At the end, Joi looked at Layla who nodded.

"And Layla said yes." Cassidy stared at Layla, as did her brother they couldn't help it. It had been drilled into their heads so hard- Kalona was the enemy, not to be trusted, let alone liked- as in _liked_. Joi glared at them.

"Did you ever think maybe if we tried to like him, or trust him or even just not to judge him it would make Layla's job easier?" She turned her gaze on Cassidy alone and lowered her voice. "I don't know about you but I don't want to die." Cassidy gulped, trying to throw it off. When she couldn't, she handled her fear by getting mad.

"Don't just blame us! I don't see you cuddling up to him either." Joi glared as the room got hot and muggy.

"Cool it," Kalleb said. "We don't need a scene." Cassidy breathed in and the room cooled and the dampness in the air left as Joi did the same.

"I'm sorry," Cassidy said. Joi's eyes were wet. Kalleb hugged her.

"I'm sorry. It was so horrible." Cassidy could see her trying not to cry. Kalleb looked at Layla.

"Can you bring him to us? Somewhere secret?" Layla looked at them all and Cassidy saw indecision in her eyes.

"I can try."

**And here is Tuesday's update. I really don't have much to say except how I'm trying right now to figure out how I want to get through another three years to the end of Foreseen… Whatever, not your problem. Love you guys! Kinda tired, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


	19. Met

**Hello, world! What? I've been gone seven months, you say? You had given up on me? Well, I'm back darlings! What? You're angry with me? What if I give you all cupcakes? Anyways, I know this is out of order but I figure seventh months is long enough to start the order over from the beginning. Also, I'm officially in high school! Congrats to me! I had more to say, but I don't quite remember what that was. So I guess I'll meet you all at the end. Read On! **

Chapter 18: Met

_**Kalona**_

Kalona felt the familiar pull, the draw of his soul towards an eleven year old girl who by all rights he should not be able to go near. So he breathed, a slow inhale and as he exhaled his soul left his body and into the dreams of Layla Stark. He smiled at her.

"Hello, Layla. What can I do for you?" He felt a tremor of shock run through him even as he said it. Since when did he care what people wanted of him? She smiled back at him. Then she shook her head.

"I do have a favor to ask of you."

"What?"

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Layla, what is it?" He felt his heart pump faster as he realized this might be her saying goodbye. This girl who had changed him so much might be leaving him.

"They want to meet you." Kalona felt a breath of relief through his entire body.

"Who is they?" he asked, barely managing to keep the relief out of his voice.

"Joi, Cassidy, and Kalleb. They don't trust you," she said apologetically. "They just want me to be safe." Kalona took a second to breathe, to tame the beast that was the anger in the pit of his stomach. He knew Layla better than them all and they dared not to trust him with her safety, to have the audacity to request his presence. But saying so would upset Layla. "Kalona?" she said after he didn't respond.

"And where would this meeting take place?" She grinned up at him and hugged him, hearing the defeat in his voice.

"We haven't decided yet," she said as she fingered the feather around her neck. "I'll call you there, okay?" He nodded at her. "Thank you."

"Of course, Layla." She backed away from him and sat on the ground. They weren't anywhere really. The dream had set to default mode so everything around them was white. Kalona snapped his fingers and the world came into being around them. They were in a forest, next to a giant tree with strands of cloth hanging from it.

"Where are we?" Layla asked in awe.

"We are in Nyx's realm," he said, simultaneously feeling joy and a deep pain at being so close to even a figment of his home.

"Are you sad?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, I am sad," he said. "This is my home and I may never return to it. But at the same time it makes me happy to be here. It's so… peaceful." She nodded at him. He turned to smile at her when he felt it- the pull in his gut that meant his body was waking up and he would have to go. "I have to leave for now. Goodbye, Layla." With that he, and the dream, evaporated.

_**Layla**_

She woke up not long after that, the sun having fully left the sky as the vampyre day began. She smelled bacon frying in the kitchen and decided maybe it was a good time to get out of bed. She went over and hit Joi in the head with a pillow.

"Wake up," she said. "Mom's making breakfast." Joi groaned and yawned but sat up.

"What time is it?" she said, the words riding on another yawn.

"Past time to be up. Mom let us sleep in." Joi nodded and together they walked into the living room.

"Morning, girls," their father said. He was drinking out of a coffee mug, likely filled with blood. Layla understood it was natural and that eventually it would be normal for her, but right now the idea was disgusting. Their mother was in the kitchen humming a song and frying bacon. Joi ran to grab a piece. Layla laid down on the couch and closed her eyes for a second. She began to drift off, so she didn't even hear her dad get up and walk over to her.

"Daddy!" she screeched when he tickled her.

"Wake up!" he laughed. So she opened her eyes and she ate breakfast and almost forgot what was going to happen later- Kal, Cass, and Jo were going to meet Kalona. When they were done, she and Joi went back to their room.

"We need to call Kal and Cass," she told her twin. Joi nodded and called the other set of twins.

"Is that a yes?" Cassidy asked.

"Yes," Layla said. "Where should we go?"

"We can go to GG's house," Joi said. Her lavender farm is huge and she won't know we're there."

"How will we get there, genius?" Cassidy asked.

"Oh, well, umm…" Joi stuttered. Cassidy sighed.

"I can carry Joi while I fly," Kalleb said Cass and Layla snickered. He ignored them and continued saying, "and Layla can, like, manipulate the wind to carry her and Cass." Joi looked at Layla and raised an eyebrow.

"That could work. At seven thirty, then?"

"Sure," Cass said. "You guys can sleep over here. It's easier to sneak out of tunnels than your house."

"It's a date then," Joi said.

_**(7:30) Kalleb (In the tunnels) **_

"Are you ready, Joi?" She was in his arms, arms around his neck, their faces closer than ever before… well, almost ever before. His breathing came quick, and his heart beat fast. Kalleb was beginning to wonder if this was his best idea ever. He had wanted to be close to her, but… it was messing with his focus.

"Yeah," she said, zapping him out of his mind. So with a powerful beat of his wings he took to the sky. Joi squealed and tucked her face into his chest. Kalleb's heart skipped a beat. He personally loved the feeling of being high off the ground. The air was cooler and with the wind in his face all his worries and troubles flew away. He was just himself up here.

"You alright, Jo?" he asked.

"Just…" she said, breathing heavily. "Just a little afraid of heights." So he placed one hand over hers on his neck. With the other he stroked her hair. "Talk to me, please," she said softly. He was a bit shocked at her vulnerability, but he obliged. He told her stories his father had told him, old Cherokee ones he knew she'd probably heard from Grandma Redbird anyways. He told her jokes that made her laugh. There was something else he wanted to tell her but held back. Eventually he ran out of things to say.

"You're beautiful," he said. It just sort of slipped out of his mouth. He felt her shudder. He was about to apologize when she spoke.

"I am?" she said? He nodded tightly, then realized she still had her face against his chest.

"Yeah," he said quietly. They were silent for a while then.

"You know I like you, right?" she said very quietly.

"I had hoped," he whispered back. She tilted her face up and he leaned his down. Their faces were so close.

"We're here," Cassidy shouted over from where the other two rode on winds that Layla had created, snapping them out of their trance. The were drifted down and Kalleb brought them down.

"So how does this work?" Kalleb asked, his voice a little hoarse. Cassidy raised an eyebrow but stayed silent. As she had in the dream, Layla fingered the feather that hung around her neck.

"He gave me this to call him with." She closed her eyes. "Kalona, I need you to come to me. We're all out at GG's lavender farm. Please?" Layla opened her eyes.

"What now?" Joi said.

"Now," she said, sitting down, "we wait.

_**Kalona**_

He heard the words echo through his mind. "Kalona, I need you to come to me. We're all out at GG's lavender farm. Please?" He heard the sound of Neferet walking towards their bedroom and heard the whispers of the Darkness that surrounded her. Without hesitating a second, he flew off the balcony and out, out to where he'd been summoned.

_**Cassidy**_

From high above, she heard the rustle of wings, as though a giant bird was descending upon them. A man landed in front of them. He was tall, with dark hair that hung to his shoulders in wave. His skin perfectly tanned and his eyes were the color of amber. He was shirtless and wore only jeans. The man's eyes darted around as though assessing the situation before resting on Layla.

"Hello, Layla," he said in a voice that was deep and rumbled like thunder. She grinned and she saw her face light up like a firework.

"You came!" she said and ran to meet him. She hugged him and he hugged her back. Finally, he turned to face them all. Layla stayed by his side. He smiled and Cassidy swore the area around him got brighter.

"Hello, children. I'm Kalona. Surely you've heard of me?" Layla elbowed him and he laughed.

"I'm Cassidy," Cassidy said, the first one to speak. "This is my brother, Kalleb, and that is Layla's sister Joi." She managed a small smile. "And yes, we've all heard of you."

"Nice to meet all of you," he said and took a seat and they all followed suit. Kalleb's wings fluttered restlessly- and that's when it hit her. This man was her _grandfather_. This was the man who had raised her father.

"Our parents aren't very fond of you," Joi said with a defiant flip of her hair and a glint in her eyes daring him to challenge her. Kalona only laughed.

"You remind me very much of your father," he said. He turned to look at Cassidy and her brother then. "Tell me then, children of my son, how is he?"

"Fine," Kalleb said curtly.

"You look very much like him," Kalona said. Kalleb didn't respond. The immortal sighed. "What is it you want of me children?" None of them answered.

"They just wanted to know that they could trust you, I guess," Layla said. Kalona sighed.

"And how do I prove that?" Layla shrugged.

"Children," he said. "I do not pretend to be anything other than I am not. I have done terrible things and there is a good possibility I will do terrible things again. These are not things I deny. I am who I am and you all are who you are. Layla has deemed me trustworthy beyond these things. I don't know whether that is a good decision or not and I'm not trying to sway you either direction. Make your decisions based on that, not on your parents' decisions and not on the stories they tell or even what Layla tells you. Do you understand me children?" Cassidy heaved a sigh.

"I think maybe you care a bit about what we think otherwise you wouldn't have made that speech," she said. Kalona opened his mouth but Cassidy cut him off. "No, don't object. I'm not saying you actually care about us. Of course you don't. Who are we to you? But what this does tell me is that you _do _care about Layla- and that's enough for me. I give."

"Ditto," Joi said. They all looked at Kalleb. It was all or nothing. Either all four of them were in or none of them were.

"I still don't like it," Kal said. "But I give." Kalona nodded at them all.

"Then, I take my leave of you children. I presume that I will eventually see you again." He kissed the top of Layla's head. "I'll see you the next time you call me." Then he took off. Cassidy took note of the certainty in his voice. Not that he'd try to come, but that he would come. He would be there when she called, no matter what. Right then, something in her gut told her she'd made the right decision.

Layla yawned and, as if this wasn't an event that had possibly irrevocably changed the course of her life, said, "Can we go home now?"

**So that's it. It was a pretty long chapter, not that that makes up for **_**seven months**_**. I really am very sorry, I didn't realize it had been that long. So, review and tell me how it feels to have me back. I'll really try to update more from now on- but then again, I've said that before. I'm in IB and I just have so much homework and ugh. I love all you guys and **_**thank you **_**to all of you who have waited for me. I love you all so so much and, best case scenario, I'll see you in three weeks because the schedule for what I post is resuming. With Glee and TFIOS feels killing me simultaneously, StevieRae2011, signing off! **


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